


Provoked.

by SS98



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Alpha Harry, Angry Harry, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Attempted Kidnapping, Bottom Louis, Dark Harry, Dominant Harry, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Forced Bonding, Forced Marriage, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kidnapped Louis, Kidnapping, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Omega Louis, Pining, Shameless Smut, Slightly - Freeform, Smut, Submissive Louis, Top Harry, Triggers, True Love, Violence, Wolf Harry, arranged mating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-11-14 14:18:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 52,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11209812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SS98/pseuds/SS98
Summary: “You’re not afraid of me.” Harry had just retired from his study for the night and was getting into bed beside Louis.His mate chose to indiscreetly cower away from the Alpha’s arms that lay jobless at his sides. “How can you tell?”“Come here.” Harry had no sense of empathy or gentility; he commanded when necessary and simply took what he needed at other times.Louis turned over onto his other side, facing Harry with wide and cautious eyes. He regarded Harry’s rigid side profile in the dark with a mixture of emotions. “I am afraid of you.”





	1. Chapter 1

“Louis!” A familiar voice reached Louis’ ear on his ascent of the packhouse steps. He pauses to catch Niall before the other Omega crashes into him.

“What’s wrong?” Louis had managed not to stumble in the slightest when his oldest friend collided with him, the exceptionally graceful smile in place on his lips. He is the pack Alpha’s mate and there was never an excuse for expressing his true feelings outside their privacy.

Niall did not take a moment to catch his breath or right his dishevelled state. He’d clearly come from the woods judging by his hastily dressed manner. “Have you heard?”

Louis could not help but sigh. He nodded tersely and motioned for Niall to follow him into the packhouse where they’d be away from prying ears. Their pack’s common gathering home is the most remarkable of all the cabins, and home to the mated Alpha couple. It symbolised their commitment to the pack as a whole, and that their attention was always at the mercy of any brother or sister with a problem. The door shut soundly behind them as Louis observed that no other was within hearing range.

“I heard.” Louis sagged against the door in defeat. This dilemma has been brought to his ear many a time in the past week, ever since the Council announced that the age of legal mating will be lowered to a scandalous limit of sixteen. “Everyone wants me to do the same thing.”

“Count me as one of them.” Niall looked at his companion in earnest, his blazing sapphire eyes narrowed on Louis. “Talk to him, Lou. You have to.”

Not only is Louis’ Alpha a domineering, condescending dominant with no personal growth of pleasant mannerisms, but he is also a diligent member of the Council heading this obscene venture. Harry Styles, Alpha to one of the oldest bloodlines made purely of the dominant breed only and one with a temper that struck fear in _everyone_ is not someone Louis chose to converse with frequently.

They mated out of necessity when Louis was barely out of his pup years at seventeen and Harry was in need of someone to care for his pack while he dealt with wretched political ordeals. Rarely did they remain in each other’s company outside of the hours they shared asleep or when a problem within their brethren grew too pressing for just Louis’ control. Harry would listen with blank, dead eyes as his Omega informed him of any such obstacle before going out to handle it himself in swift brutality.

Harry is one whom was always taken heed of for he was the definition of any lower Alpha’s nightmare. This world had hardened him as it did with umpteen others and none could be brought out of such gruesome states of mind. One learns to deal in blood and tragedy before anything tame.

“I will talk to him.” Louis shuddered at the thought. He has no idea if Harry had a hand in the passing of this law and whether or not the Alpha will pay him any mind.

“Lowering the age that one can mate will only end badly.” Niall reiterates bluntly. “There are too many packs with forced and arranged matings still as tradition.”

“I know.” Louis almost didn’t restrain the sharpness in his words; he had been given away without a second thought by his parents in lieu of a forced Bonding. “I will do my best, Ni. I promise.”

Of course Louis would not rest until this outrageous decision was taken under reconsideration. He may be terrified of his Alpha’s barking tone and deathly manner but there is much more to this than his fear. He sent his friend off with an embrace and reinstituted promise before turning to the staircase that led to the second floor, home to their bedroom and Harry’s study. Several shallow breaths grazed the twitching muscle of his lungs before Louis got to the top of twenty-three steps and dared to glance at the Alpha’s study door that has been shut soundly for two days: a sign that demanded no visitors. Louis held the air in his torso when he tapped his knuckles against the solid oak barrier, wincing at the immediate echo of a frustrated growl that answers him.

“May I come in please?” He whispers, shockingly stricken. A relieved sigh escaped him at the consenting grunt that followed.

Harry’s study is much of a reflection on the Alpha himself. There was never any source of light in it because of the heavy, lined curtains and shattered lightbulbs. None but Harry, and on occasion Louis, ever entered that private sanctuary.

The Alpha sat at his desk across a distance of pitch blackness, but his presence was certain due to the pair of glowing silver orbs staring back at Louis. It was a feature of purebred wolves that existed as one in thousands. They blinked and Louis felt a chill run down his spine; Harry was growing impatient with each wasted minute.

“What is it, little Omega?” Harry called Louis by the strict endearment if only to set his mate apart from the other submissives.

Hearing it offered Louis no solace. “It’s about the new law your Council has-”

“ _My_ Council?” The edge in Harry’s voice was mocking, deliberate in its superiority.

“The Council.” Louis corrected. “The law is…absurd and heinous. Wolves so young cannot be allowed to mate.”

“Why?” Harry deadpanned, the outline of his fierce build slightly angled to the left side. “Do you not trust our youth?”

Louis would glare at Harry if he were more certain of no punishment being hurled back at him in return. He knew of most Alphas’ backwards thinking but seemed to complacently trust that Harry withheld at least some semblance of modern perspective. It disgusted him to realise otherwise.

“I do not.” He spoke honestly. “Our pups cannot be allowed to mate when they are so naïve. Think of the packs that will begin forcing Bonds on those too young, who cannot fight the law.”

“Like you were, little Omega?” Harry deadpans, but it took no seer to catch wind of bitterness in the dominant’s tone. He knew the memory of would make Louis flinch. “Forced into a mating at seventeen, you were. Taken from the pack of your parents by an Alpha almost a decade your senior.”

The Omega wished he possessed some of the courage with his words as he did when first living with Harry; much of that bravery has been subdued by weighty responsibilities and burdensome formalities. So many duties without rest extinguished many a spirit over the years as submissives were mated into Harry’s family, each with authority they did not understand.

“I do not wish to speak about-”

Harry growled, slicing through Louis’ objection with curt arrogance. “You are my mate and will do as I say.”

“I will not.” Louis did not restrain his scathing glare or the hatred that fuelled it. “This is not about us, Alpha.”

“Do not provoke me, little Omega.” Harry seethed, his jaws clenched painfully to grind the lilt of his words.

Unlike their dominant counterparts, Omegas were better bred for patience and insatiable tolerance. Louis resigned from an argument with increasing rapidness over time thus allowing Harry to do so as well; he never wanted to find his bed tainted with rage.

“I apologise, Alpha.” Louis bowed his head for the purpose of recovering his cool expression, not noticing that surprise filled the silence between them.

Harry grunted dismissively. “I appealed the decision of the Council already. Tell your Niall that I can do no more.”

Louis’ gaze sprang up from the toes of his socks, laced with innate shock. He was knowledgeable of Harry’s inhuman observational skills so it would be possible that he knew of his conversation with Niall. The choice of rejecting a Law set forth by a committee of Alphas – of which Harry is part – renders many doses of unease and question.

“Thank you.” He whispers, barely audible.

Harry remained silent for a torturous minute, just the ticking of a clock to entertain them both. Those silver orbs watch Louis unyieldingly, without rest for the tense silence. “I would offer you praise now, if you’d care to hear it.”

“Okay.” Louis wishes he hadn’t sounded so akin to grappling but to be complimented by his Alpha is to prove he isn’t a waste of the man’s time or energy. He could count the number of compliments he’s gotten from Harry on one hand.

Harry’s chair creaked as if he moved in the leather seat, then that pair of unsettling predatorial eyes rose several meters as the Alpha stood. They floated in the shadows as Harry moved around the desk, closer to Louis.

“Although I would be a fool to not argue such a repulsive Law, I asked you for an argument to discern your honest standpoint.” Harry cleared his throat with a brief gruff exhale that almost pulled a wince from Louis. “Your…nobility and devote sincerity has not failed you.”

Louis dared to look up at that for he is just a mate to a powerful Alpha with more of a temper than personality, and holds his breath until it aches so he may not allow a wave of grateful affection to reach Harry through their Bond. He releases a shaky sigh with the first hints of Harry’s uncommonly earthy scent reaching him. The Alphas scent is a great comfort to him although he doubts his own means little more than nothing to Harry.

“Th-Thank you.” He stutters, fussing with the doorknob and yanking it open to escape before he forced himself to stay.

*    *    *    *    *

Each day a mated couple either grows further apart or closer to inseparable. This sour disposition forced Harry’s hand in demanding not merely a single but rather two offerings of affection from Louis. The Omega was startled by the proposition as he was showering at the time and shrieked when Harry barged in looking like a bull with a purpose. He agreed to the request for it seemed harmless and now wished he hadn’t, for Harry made his self-preening too evident when the Omega had to awkwardly shuffle closer when they kissed.

“You’re not afraid of me.” Harry had just retired from his study for the night and was getting into bed beside Louis.

His mate chose to indiscreetly cower away from the Alpha’s arms that lay jobless at his sides. “How can you tell?”

“Come here.” Harry had no sense of empathy or gentility; he commanded when necessary and simply took what he needed at other times.

Louis turned over onto his other side, facing Harry with wide and cautious eyes. He regarded Harry’s rigid side profile in the dark with a mixture of emotions. “I _am_ afraid of you.”

The agonising slowness with which Harry angled his head toward Louis only set the Omega’s nerves alight and made him shudder from head to toe. Harry’s eyes had returned to their trademark mossy green but that depth only made them black as emptiness now.

“You should not be.” Harry stared at Louis as he spoke. “We are mates and I would break a sacred vow much older than anything time created by harming you.”

Louis stifled a yawn and blinked away the consequential stray tear. “Many Alphas abuse their Omegas.”

“Would that be justification for me raising a hand to you?”

“No!” Louis shouted all too suddenly, simultaneously shot into an upright position by a crack of horrendous thunder. He’s hated storms for as long as he can remember, feared them for their destruction and the fact that none could save him from it.

Harry watched him curiously for a moment before shifting his arm and creating a space against his shoulder. “Come closer, little Omega.”

“I’m fine.” Louis wrestled with his set of pillows for a second to survive the second roar of nature, a whip of lightning. He released an unflattering squeak at the echo of it.

“I know my scent soothes you.” Harry kept the pride from his voice when coaxing Louis toward him, intrigued by the slow wear on the Omega’s resistance. “Come.”

Louis chewed his lip. “I can’t.”

“Then perhaps you can protect my mind from the dreadful thoughts it conjures during a storm.” Harry spoke with ease, slippery temptation and ripped silk threads.

Harry won when the Omega all but threw himself against him at the next bout of Mother Nature’s wrath. He smothered his surprise without pain and stubbornly restricted his arm around the Omega’s frame. Louis is much smaller than he, easily camouflaged by the Alpha’s mountainous stature. Harry felt the tremors leave Louis along with the goosebumps that disappeared along the Omega’s skin. He let Louis do as he pleased to get comfortable, and was not in the least bit surprised when his mate chose the juncture of his neck to bury his face.

“You’re afraid of storms too?” Louis could feel Harry’s pulse against his cheek and the thrum of a steady heartbeat on his palm. Both were in a permanent combat to be bolder.

“No.” Harry’s eyes were closed, tranquil. He waited for nothing but the sounds of chaos to envelope their nest before speaking as a distraction to Louis’ reddened ears. “Sleep, little Omega. I have much to deliberate.”

Louis felt uncharacteristically at home and did not want it to expire so soon. “Alphas often share their dilemmas with their mates.”

The only muscle that twitched in response is that beneath his eyebrow, teasing the Omega with a quirked brow. “You deign to tell me my place as an Alpha?”

 _“No.”_ Louis panics. “I was only suggesting a more….-”

“A more active partnership between us?” Harry sniffs, avoiding a sneeze but unable to stop his nose from turning bright red.

Louis looks down once more, settling into a significantly warm spot on the crook of Harry’s arm. “Maybe.”

Harry listens to Louis’ breathing even out and watches every feature on the boy’s visage become peaceful with slumber. He observes the repercussions of the tempest outside on Louis; the sequence of whimpers and drowsy spasms is much to be endearing. “I will take your request under advisement.”

*    *    *    *    *

For three days no further word is issued to any of the wolves in their district concerning the Council’s prospective new Law. Harry does an exceptional job of ignoring all the enquiries that come his way from their pack, and spends a consecutive forty-eight hours locked up in his study without a word to Louis. His Omega refrains from questioning Harry on his self-acclaimed isolation and gruelling attitude whenever he did surface to eat. Louis knew better than to risk it.

Niall would help Louis tend to their pack and the three hundred wolves that are pillars of its stealthy reputation. The pack leader’s mate has certain responsibilities in the absence of their mate that cannot be further handed down; Louis has to meet with the hunters and check on the pack doctor’s reports himself in confidence. He prepares the Alphas and Betas that hunt for the pack and return needing somewhere to store the meat until it can be prepared.

Many came directly to Louis now that their leader is otherwise occupied, presenting their usual menial dilemmas along with greater issues to the pack Omega. Louis has to smile in his accommodating and warm manner as taught by Harry’s late mother to hear each problem, minor or chaotic. He gives a Beta directions into the city and gets him permission to use one of the pack’s cars for a night. One of Harry’s more favoured companions finds Louis with a request to visit a neighbouring pack for two hours, which is granted on strict terms.

Along with the reasonable cases came obscene and unexpected favours. Louis has to deny many Alphas who ask him to let them visit the Omega-only gathering closer to the lake out of their territory. He gave the man who asked an unimpressed look and shook his as the only answer. Of course they pleaded with him and followed Louis around the compound until he was close to being worn down, claiming that they didn’t want to be lonely on such a beautiful night. Louis knew every wolf in his pack and was aware of how trustworthy they were but if they’ve been going regularly to the Omega gatherings then he was unaware. Whether Harry approved or not, he was not sure.

“Ask Alpha Styles then.” The young dominant suggested, feigning innocence much too expertly. He had the brightest grey eyes and a dazzling grin for days that charmed many into getting him his way.

Louis was close to his maximum intake of pressure and turned around with no small amount of exasperation. “No, love. He’s busy right now and I won’t let you go without absolute certainty that this is allowed.”

“Please, Lou.” The grey-eyed Daniel who is also their best hunter was not ashamed to beg. He was already kneeling on the stairs outside the packhouse, hands clasped together. “Just ask him once. If he says no then we won’t go.”

“Fine!” Louis exclaimed when he glanced at the trio of wolves accompanying Daniel, sighing in exhaustion when the Alpha hugs him around his waist. “I’ll ask him and let you know.”

“Great.” Daniel gives Louis’ middle one last squeeze and rises to his feet swiftly. “We’ll wait here for you to return.”

Louis listens his own heart racing beyond any limit its previously created for itself. He rushes inside the packhouse and finds all the lights switched off from nobody visiting the communal pack home all day. No sound infiltrates the air about his ears except the creaking of wood beneath his shoes when Louis wastes a minute removing them at the door. The staircase ahead of him leading to the second level has never looked so formidable as it did now, cloaked in harmless shadows that vary degrees of darkness. Louis walks around his current floor turning on all the lights and trying to slow his rabbiting torso.

It stopped being fear and morphed into plain traditional anxiety after the third time Louis had to bring something to Harry’s attention himself. He rolled his head back on his shoulders and reminisced on how agonising it had been to do it the first time. Fulfilling his duties back when he was just outside the phase of being a pup only worsened it as a burden on an unprepared spine, but Louis suffered through it without complaint for weeks before Harry came to him. The Alpha told him that the resilience he’s displayed is phenomenal and reassured the Alpha in his choice of a mate; not many Omegas can withstand the pressure Louis had to. He made his Alpha proud and should, more importantly, feel greatly accomplished.

Harry’s study door is once more closed shut without an inch of invitation; Louis knocks with a pounding heart and lump in his throat. “May I come in?”

No answer greets him after many breaths and Louis glances at the descending steps, contemplating a swift departure to avoid embarrassment. Rather than being allowed to go through with it Louis jumps back when the door before him opens with a rattle in his hinges. Harry emerges from the clustered blackness looking as bluntly aggravated as he always does, looking down at Louis with dead emerald eyes.

He’s at least half a foot taller than Louis and never fails to appear intimidating with such a mountainous build. The Alpha’s sharp, rigid features effortlessly complemented his persistent lacking in patience or mercy for fools.

“Hi.” Louis panics and blurts out the one informal greeting he hoped to avoid. He lightly scratches the inside of his wrist in urgency.

Harry does not seem bothered by the interruption and regards Louis with familiar indifference. “You never return this late.”

Louis stutters at the unprecedented statement. “There was a lot to take care of first.”

The Alpha hums. “Too much?”

“No.” Louis shakes his head, crossing his arms to stop fidgeting. “Not too much.”

“Excellent.” Harry props his arm up against the door and the other on the banister, effectively occupying the entire doorway. “Then why might you be here to ask for my help, little Omega?”

Louis clears his throat to stop from saying something he might have in his earlier years. “Daniel has asked me to let them go to an Omega gathering.”

“Really?” The news amuses Harry and it shows in his disconcerting smirk. “What did you say?”

“I don’t know whether you allowed them before.”

A look of realisation dawns on the Alpha’s grim features. “So you’ve come to ask for them?”

“Yes.” Louis breathes, knowing better than to avoid Harry’s gaze even when slightly nervous. “What should I tell them?”

Harry drums his fingers on the wooden doorframe, taunting Louis’ silence with the irritable sound. “An Omega gathering is harmless. They can go.”

Louis doesn’t think beyond a heartbeat to know Daniel will be _thrilled_. He looks to his mate with a small smile. “Thank you.”

The Alpha nods tersely. “Tell your wolves the good news and return. This door will be open so don’t knock.”

*    *    *    *    *

Harry waited for Louis to come back from informing Daniel of latest developments. His Omega was uneasy around him and that had to overcome to not have it jeopardise their Bond any more than it already has. Louis sits on the couch Harry has against the window looking out over the bonfire their pack held every night, curling up with a stray cushion and quilt under Harry’s unrelenting stare.

“Why did you want me to sit here with you?” Louis asks with his chin propped up on his knee, meeting his Alpha’s silvery gaze.

The dominant hasn’t stopped purring since Louis stepped into his study and it’s as if he knew the inarguably soothing effect it would have on Louis. As the boy’s Alpha he had the inborn ability to calm Louis down whenever circumstances called for it but Harry never tried to before, hence his present experiment. “I won’t be able to retire tonight but I’d still like you with me while you sleep.”

Louis frowns in thought; he is unsettled by the realisation that Harry’s never let him sleep on his own without bringing it to the forefront of their attention. “You…- Why?”

“Why do I care for whether my mate is safe?” Harry is cruel in his manner of teasing. He looks at Louis with a raised brow and pinches his bottom lip between his fingers.

A blush colours Louis’ cheeks. “I’m safe across the hall, Harry.”

“Not as safe as you would be in my company.” Harry argues, turning away with a pause in his soft purring as he returns to his work. “Sleep now if you plan to do so at all tonight.”

Louis was intrigued by the Alpha’s discomfort toward this topic, but also could not neglect the flutter in his chest. He won’t press it any further tonight and folds himself into as dainty a ball as he can on the sofa; his smile goes undetected where he hides his face in a cushion.

 


	2. II.

Harry has an announcement for the pack that he’s been secretive about all morning even towards Louis. The Alpha awoke an hour before his mate and retired to his study immediately, immersing himself in whatever chose to occupy his focus so entirely. Louis brought him breakfast without a word and rushed to exit the room so that he might not be kicked out.

The pack awaits Harry’s word, but none say anything to Louis when the Omega emerges from the packhouse for his daily duties. Suspense is always poorly handled in their community and while Louis also knows nothing of what Harry has to say, he savours the anticipation in each wolf’s eyes when they approach him. He and Niall send off the hunters for fresh meat while volunteers prepare a pack lunch; the little ones are difficult to monitor when they’re in a large group and running about in absurd abandonment.

Louis happens by Daniel in the woods when he’s taking a walk and just about manages to break into a sprint before the other Alpha grabs him in a tight squeeze. Daniel leaves his wolf form to embrace their pack Omega enthusiastically, laughing when Louis resists him with just as much playfulness. They walk back to the clearing outside the packhouse together before Niall drags Louis away as the sun begins to set. Harry’s called everyone into the gathering room in the packhouse to finally hear what the Alpha has to say.

Fitting three hundred wolves into one room proved to be a challenge over the years so on a whim, Harry tore down three adjacent walls to have the space expanded. Louis remembers waking at four in the morning to the cruel heaviness of drywall crashing to the floor under Harry’s incessant swinging. He found himself under a blanket that Harry draped over him to shield the Omega from spraying debris; his skin was flushed bright red and sweat had made every crevice clammy. Harry had brought Louis down to the living room while he worked and the Omega slept, offering no explanation when the boy woke up.

Unlike Niall, Louis had a pre-designated spot to occupy in any meeting of the pack and he had to leave his friend to join Harry on the stout platform at the head of the room. His Alpha was standing with his back to everyone in the room, leaning over the blazing mantelpiece with an arm pressed to the cold porcelain. The flames of a vengeful fire were reflected in Harry’s eyes as they grew darker, more haunted.

He sensed Louis coming when the Omega entered the room and straightened his back, raised his head in reception of his mate. Louis has long since grown accustomed to what the pack felt as a whole when the leading pair were in the same room – a natural phenomenon that ran thrills through any lower pack member. Wolves in a pack belonging to such a powerful Alpha as Harry were all affected by being in the presence of their strongest mated pair; it was never anything more than a series of warm chills down to every last inch of skin. When it first happened, Louis was shocked and mildly ashamed until Harry soothed his nerves. It was nothing meant to humiliate an Omega, merely resonate the unity of a pack.

Louis steps up onto the platform with practiced grace and strolls up to Harry’s side as soundlessly as possible. He watches the Alpha’s gaze flicker from the flames to him and back upon being caught. “They’re waiting for you.”

Harry takes a deep breath and nods stiffly. “I am aware.”

Feeling characteristically awkward, Louis lets Harry relish in his pointless silence for a moment or two. He glances at the expectant eyes all narrowed on them and turns back to find an upturned palm awaiting him. Louis looks at Harry in alarm.

“Take my hand, little Omega.” Harry breathed, pushing off the wall and ceasing Louis’ wrist in the curl of his fingers. He chuckles, curt and sinister, into Louis’ ear when he turns them around. “Don’t worry. I won’t let the big, scary wolf from the forest hurt you.”

The reassurance had sounded more akin to a gravely threat, yet Louis feels particularly brave when he responds in just as low a volume. “I believe he’d be breaking several ancient vows by daring to think of it.”

*    *    *    *    *

“Omega.” Harry closed the door behind him and called after his mate when Louis stormed up the staircase. “Come back here to me.”

Louis slams the bedroom door shut so it rattles in its hinges. He was _fuming_ and wanted every inch of Harry to be aware of it. There was no reason to be afraid of Harry anymore or at least Louis didn’t care to give a damn about the selfish, narcissistic Alpha.

It took all of two seconds for Harry to be at the door, kicking it open because of the lacking door lock and calmly shuts it. He can hear Louis fussing with everything in the bathroom and the Omega’s distraught state reeks in their bedroom. “Your anger is justified.”

His mate responds by slamming more objects on the bathroom counter and coming to the doorway so he can shut the barrier in Harry’s face. On his face it is evident how pained the boy is, and even more so is he wrecked with frustration. Louis feels heaviness in his chest when he’s under the scorching shower’s spray, and is strictly aware of his horrid Alpha waiting outside the door for him to exit the bathroom. The first tears are unbidden but by the time Louis falls to the tiled floor, they’re flowing freely down his cheeks along with poorly muffled sobs.

When Louis goes for a towel he has to try thrice to be successful and supports himself with much strain against the bathroom counter. The mirror shows him what he wants to avoid diligently. Louis breathes shallowly and not without an abundance of tremors.

“I feel what you feel, Omega.” Harry’s voice travels through the door, a hint of something tainting his voice.

Louis has struck upon his capacity for Harry’s uncaring manner. His eyes were bloodshot in the reflection staring emptily back at him, his forehead creased with worry lines. “Release me from this Bond.”

“No.”

Louis emits a stifled cry, letting his eyes bathe in the sting of unshed tears. “Please let me go so I may return to my home.”

The door collided with the wall, having harboured such strength of force that a few tiles cracked under the momentum. Louis couldn’t hope to avoid the impending intrusion so he squeezed his eyes shut, whimpering when Harry took hold of him. He fought the grip on his arms because never has Harry touched him without permission and the Alpha ought to not start now.

“Look at me.” Harry released Louis and stepped back, his tone a perplexing shade of commanding. “Look at me, Omega. _Now._ ”

Louis opened his eyes to glare at the Alpha. He crossed his arms and turned away from the intensity of Harry’s stare. “However much of an….inadequate Omega I’ve been, I still don’t-”

Harry scoffed, entirely unimpressed. He was all for Louis in this moment and nothing more by the focus he aimed at the Omega. The silver peek of Harry’s wolf shone through his eyes, swirling and unfurling in a furious storm. “You are the perfect Omega. You may doubt this but I certainly do not.”

Now it is Louis’ chance to be utterly nonplussed. He wipes the stray wetness from his face and sniffles against the rapidly plummeting temperature around him. “I am replaceable.”

When Louis walks away Harry follows, not stopping even when the Omega enters the closet searching for clothes. “You are the one wolf that is not.”

Louis pulls a shirt on over his towel and thanks the darkness for concealing what he does not possess the presence of modesty to. He turned to face Harry without an ounce of reservation, letting his betrayal fuel his outburst. “You _humiliated_ me. The entire pack was gathered to hear you denounce me as your mate.”

“I did no such thing.” Harry growls, eyes following Louis around the bedroom. “I said another Omega will be welcomed into this pack, which is true.”

“Another Omega who you intend to mate!” Louis did not hold back his scream when it bubbled from his heart, nor did so when it came to hurling a lamp at the Alpha’s head. It only aggravated him further when Harry dodged the projectile. “Do you expect me to stay here and-”

“Share your Alpha?” Harry proffers with a raised eyebrow.

“Forfeit every effort I’ve put forth in this pack.” Louis corrects articulately. He’d be a fool if he went silently and let any new-comer take away what he’s worked tirelessly to perfect in their pack.

Harry takes a moment for a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose in thought. His brow twitches in a battle with his own anger as his chest erupts into tides of a vicious, impatient growl. “No privilege will be taken from you.”

“I don’t want privileges!” Louis exclaims fiercely, curling his fists until they ache. “I’ll give up this bed and standing next to you at pack gatherings, but I put all of my heart into this pack since you mated me. You either kick me out of this pack entirely or respect me enough as pack Omega to not replace me.”

The Alpha before him continues to watch Louis for several silent seconds, though not a single one of it is spent meaninglessly. Though the dominant is unparalleled in his ability to remain unreadable, Louis knows that more than a single conflict burns in Harry’s gaze.

Harry speaks and his voice is shockingly low, gritty. It embodies the sound of a beast crawling out of a man’s throat. “I will take no Omega over you.”

Louis appears as disgusted as he feels. He snatches a pillow from his side of the bed and makes for the exit. “You already have and I’ll disgrace my family name before letting you take it back.”

*    *    *    *    *

Louis has had no objection to staying in Niall’s cabin for three consecutive days since leaving Harry speechless in what used to be his home. His Alpha has returned to being an active pack Alpha while Louis continues his duties without complaint. Harry went out with the hunters daily, teaching them techniques in being an exquisite predator that they did not know. He brings back meat every evening to store in packhouse freezers, doing so with every pound except a single stag.

No moon rose for three nights without Harry hunting a stag and bringing it to Niall’s door. He laid the carcass on the porch where Louis might find it, but for three days his offerings went ignored. Louis never touched the meat, walked around the rotting pile if he needed to get by, and did not so much as spare a glimpse at the Alpha who put it there.

“You know what a stag symbolises?” Niall sat across from his best friend, both armed with mugs of hot cocoa and cookies.

Louis gave the other a look of warning but it quickly expired. He hasn’t slept a single night since moving out of the packhouse and the separation has caused mild unrest in the pack. “Courting.”

“Now it does, yes.” Niall shoved a whole biscuit in his mouth, swallowing after a short beat. “Back when courting actually meant something, an Alpha offering his Omega a stag meant he was imposing his own humiliation.”

“What?” Louis frowns at the odd explanation.

“Well, what do you think would be Harry’s grandest prey?” Niall downs the rest of his beverage and sets the mug down.

Louis shrugs. “A bear?”

“Quite a few more than just one, I’d reckon.” Niall says pointedly. “Now see, the older Alphas found it to be effective when they took to degrading themselves in an apology. They demean their own hunting abilities by killing something small – defenceless – and bringing it to their mates.”

This new information puzzled Louis. “How is that supposed to help their case at all?”

“They’re proving that status means little to them, that they’d forsake it all for forgiveness.” Niall goes on. “The more powerful the Alpha, the more anguish being denied will cause.”

Louis went to sleep that night haunted by this new enlightenment. He tosses and turns in the guestroom bed for an hour before giving up entirely. Too much races through his mind as he silently makes his way to the bathroom, not bothering to switch on a light as he fumbles for the mirrored medicine cabinet. Just today Niall accompanied him to the pack doctor, and acquired a bottle of pills that promised to help Louis sleep without side-effects. The Omega was hesitant, stubborn even, until he swayed in his step today and spent too much time yawning from fatigue.

He took one little one tablet as professionally advised and went to bed, pushing every thought of Harry out of his mind in the hunt for sleep that never came.

*    *    *    *    *

“Louis?” Daniel nudges the Omega’s elbow beside him and panics when the momentum knocks Louis off his feet. He rushes to grab hold of the boy before he hits the ground. “Shit, Lou. You alright?”

“Yeah.” Louis nods fervently, clearing his throat and standing upright without aid. “Thanks, Daniel. I’m alright.”

The Alpha who is supposed to be accompanying Louis on his short venture beyond the territory lines looks twice as panicked. He only releases Louis when he is pushed away. “You look like you haven’t slept in a year, Lou.”

Louis offers him a weak shrug. “That’s because I haven’t.”

It’s not a fact that went unnoticed by anyone in the fact that Louis is physically unlike what he once was. The pack Omega has withered, the shine gone from his baby blues and the internal glow vanished from his skin. He was a soldier in his duties and did not lack in any of them, but it’s no longer just Niall worrying about his health. Louis has taken sleeping pills for a week and had nothing to show for it, because not the softest threads offered the faintest comfort.

Louis hasn’t seen Harry in eight whole days because their dear pack Alpha felt no obligation to show himself outside of what he was obligated to do. The stags on Niall’s porch haven’t stopped except just the day before Louis fell sick when he tripped over a stray torn limb bleeding into the aged wood. He collapsed to his knees and brought up his breakfast into the dirt, hardly shielded from any onlooker stopping to gawk at their pack Omega reduced to such turmoil.

“Forgive me for this is not my place to say.” Daniel walks a step behind Louis when they return to the pack compound. “You’re crazy, Louis.”

“What?” Louis can’t bring himself to even offer a wry smile.

His companion holds open the territory gate for Louis and waves in greeting to the wolves guarding it. “You’re half the size you used to be. Everyone’s noticed that you haven’t returned to the packhouse in many days.”

“With all due respect, Daniel.” Louis pauses in his stride to face the other, blinking to steady his vision. “Everyone has the right to notice anything they wish, but that is where their privilege ends.”

Louis leaves Daniel standing alone in the only discernable path through the woods; he feels twice as miserable as the Alpha does regretful. Making his way out of the trees has never been so challenging. The towering oaks are replicas of one another, each leaning over their neighbour to block the sunlight from reaching Louis’ eyes. He smells burnt wood and familiar scents after an innumerable amount of minutes spent being lost in woods he’s known better than his own skin.

That night everyone is called to the packhouse to take heed of something Harry has to announce, but Louis utilises the dregs of his special excuses to not attend. He fell asleep on Niall’s couch after listening to the same lullaby on repeat and thanked a deity for granting his mind some rest. However long it lasted, Louis didn’t experience an inch of well-being when he awoke to Niall sitting beside him smothering a grin.

“What?” Louis did not recognise his own voice from how raspy it sounded. “Why’re you smiling?”

“He did it.” Niall answers giddily. “Harry got the new Council Law abolished. The age of consensual mating remains the same.”

*    *    *    *    *

Louis had made sure to eat breakfast before leaving Niall’s cabin for the day; however miserable the Omega felt at the thought of food, he was trying beyond belief to maintain what sliver of health remained. He could keep down half his portion of scrambled eggs and hash-browns but no more.

The day promised to strike with minimal challenges so Louis found himself without much to do after each hour. Niall teased him about the slightest slouch of his shoulders before Louis righted his posture, horrified at his own complacency. In his earliest days as pack Omega he was trained to always be prim, formal and unquestionable by the preceding woman in his post. He learnt well in a short time to stand worthily beside Harry when they were granted the pack’s ultimate throne.

“Think he’ll let you go home for a few days?” Niall asks after he stops holding himself back. The exhaustion in his best friend’s eyes and self-sacrificing stance cannot go on for much longer.

“Harry?” Louis swallows thickly. He was cutting up a mango seconds before and licked his fingers free of the sticky residue. “No, I’ve asked him already.”

Niall nods. “Then…maybe go anyway.”

The suggestion causes Louis’ shrivelled amusement. “Run away?”

All the other Omega does is shrug noncommittally. “Harry’s the best hunter but if you travelled via the river he’d never be able to track your scent.”

Louis almost gets the chance to store such a scandalous thought away for later consideration but their private bubble has been too soon intruded upon. Niall was beside him in one moment and knocked off his perch in the second by an indecipherable cloudy figure. It’s no question that the wolf who attacks Niall so suddenly is pack by their familiar scent, but Louis cannot think about who might be so irrational before switching forms himself and going to the defence of his best friend.

His wolf is majorly inadequate to the dominant that snarls at Niall and has him trembling, sprawled out on the dirt with a bleeding neck. Louis blindly slams into the unidentified Alpha where he’s become aware is somewhat sensitive for even the boldest, and sinks his teeth into rippling muscle until the beast howls and steps back. The Pack Omega cannot be harmed by anyone lower in the pack and Louis stands protectively Niall, certain in his personal security until the eyes of the antagonising wolf becomes clearer.

Everyone’s stopped dead in their tasks to witness their pack’s proudest Alpha act as foe to their most treasured Omega. Harry’s wolf is of hulking build and growls, baring its teeth almost threateningly at the mate it has chosen. The sight is enough to set each wolf on edge until Harry raises his head from an offensive bow and Louis’ tension eases momentarily. None expect it when Harry impulsively leans down to gather the flesh at Louis’ throat between his jaws, hauling the Omega off the ground sweepingly to remove from the eye of attention.

Harry takes Louis up the packhouse stairs and into the home that is meant for them as a mated couple, ignoring every effort of resistance as his Omega fights him. He lays the submissive carefully on the floor of the gathering room, not surprised in the least when Louis instantly morphs into his human form.

“How could you?!” Louis all but screeches, outraged by Harry’s profane display moments earlier. He ignores their present complete nudity for the delivery of their point. “That was _Niall_ you attacked!”

Harry never ceases his stare set upon Louis’ fuming features, cracking a knot in his neck before answering. “I know very well who that was.”

“Then why?” Louis crossed his arms. “It is unforgiveable to attack an Omega.”

“He was facilitating your escape from this pack.” Harry grits, eyes ablaze. “To separate a mated pair is a far greater offense.”

Louis throws his hands up in exasperation, turning away from the Alpha towards the door. “I’m going to see if he’s okay.”

“You will return?” Harry called to his retreating figure.

“No.” Louis grabbed the door handle in time for it to be taken from him, a broader dominant now blocking his path. He glowered at Harry. “Know this, Niall has done nothing to separate us.”

Harry’s jaw tightens and his anger bleeds into the blackening abyss of his gaze. He leans forward and Louis turns to the side. “You are my Omega for this and every other lifetime.”

“Funny.” Louis forced out, wincing at the contact of Harry nudging the arch of his neck. “You don’t want to be my Alpha for even one.”

It twisted his limits when Harry reached out and grazed Louis’ bare hip with his palm. Louis hissed, angered by such forwardness that had no place in their deteriorated mating, and pushed Harry away with all the strength he had. The Alpha was stronger, stealthier and had Louis pressed into the wall in a heartbeat. His chest met the Omega’s back as he aligned their exposed bodies, connecting skin at every opportune spot.

Louis was panting from dread and shock, his eyes wide and pulse throbbing where Harry wrapped a fist around his throat. He failed when he tried to create space between them, mewling when the Alpha tasted with a flick of his tongue and nip of his sharp canines. This was his Alpha; the one from whom he found protection and security in their most primal forms. Harry was bound by their Bond to give his all to the Omega at his side, in pain of death. He thought of it and how he failed in his duty to Louis, offering a muffled but pitiful rumble.

“Say it.” Louis dug his nails into the back of Harry’s hand, finding his resolve when his inner Omega was ready to fold. “If you are truly apologetic, say it.”

Harry felt as though their Bond was hurdled by numerous shields and billowing curtains keeping his Alpha from uniting with Louis’ Omega. Their strained connection was on account of being lost in this grievous wonderland, and he made no effort until now to right their struggle.

Louis heard nothing and sighed; he’d expected such a response without doubt. He yanked on the door until a crack peering out appeared, only to gasp when it was slammed shut again and Harry growled into his neck. He was sounding forceful, demanding.

“No.” The Alpha’s arm shook with unnecessary strain in keeping the door closed, like he singlehandedly wanted to keep out anything daring to pry it open. He tightened his arm around Louis, breathing harshly down the Omega’s back. “I have realised my own foolishness.”

Louis stopped trying to threaten Harry’s efforts. “I know you have, and it pleases me that you tried at all.”

Harry made a sound from his wolf, contentment lacing the soft grunt. “You make me proud, little Omega. None but you could ever bring me such peace as you do, and such anguish in your absence.”

The noise that escaped Louis’ throat was choked, on the brink of a cry. Harry reacted by lowering the hand encircling the Omega’s clavicle and worriedly petting Louis’ sides. “Harry, no Omega deserves to be disregarded as I have. I wish it no one.”

“I am sorry.” Harry locked his arms around Louis, allowing himself to hide in the boy’s perfumed with a pained frown. “I am s _orry_ , Omega.”

Louis saw many things in that moment and each image was tainted with fear. He was undoubtedly attached to Harry as his Alpha and could feel the emotions welling in their Bond that Harry never let him experience before. It was always one-sided and Louis prayed no other Omega had to experience such rejection from their dominant.

“I forgive you.” Louis whispers, barely recognisable. He lets the tears fall where they may and whines at Harry trying to burrow further into his space. “I forgive you but…- Much has been damaged between us, Harry.”

The Alpha knew this, of course. He turned Louis around to look into the eyes of his Omega for the first time just to savour how beautiful this shade of blue was. The back of his neck ached from how low he bowed, setting his forehead against Louis’ with his hands framing the boy’s singularly flawless visage. There were freckles at Louis’ left nostril, faint brown and in a trio. Thin pink lips were pursed below a reddened button nose in a complete set of features Harry never bothered to compliment.

“You’re doing this so I won’t leave.” Louis muttered, sorrow leeching the melody of his voice and flowing in tears down between them.

Harry snarled, irritated at himself and caught in a spot he did not desire. He was about to draw back the last sheet to meet Louis’ uncensored affections until the Omega withdrew from him further.  “That is not true.”

“It is.” Louis could see it Harry’s eye and it drove a dagger through his torso, caused a shudder in his words. “You would be dishonoured if I left now before you could mate the other Omega.”

“There is no other Omega.” Harry swore, pulling Louis back when the Omega threatened to retreat. He spoke the truth and it shone through his misery. “There is none who could replace you.”

“I can forgive you, Harry, but you’ve broken my trust.” Louis shivered from an internal chill. He couldn’t bear to look at the Alpha any more than a lover could stare at the one who betrayed them so entirely. “I have given myself to this pack and the honour it has granted me, but also the burden with which it came. If you could not care for me enough to at least embrace our Bond or not let another _Omega threaten it_ , then there will never be love between us.”

“Little Omega.” Harry’s usually confident tone is strangled, fighting through a tightening noose to be heard at all. “I am not....articulate in such matters but I beg of you, hear me now.”

“Okay.” Louis sniffles, flinching instinctively when Harry wipes the moisture from beneath his eyes and nose.

Harry wound an arm around Louis’ hips, possessive and _desirable_ just as every Omega craves from their dominant. Louis gulps.

“I would kill for you.” Harry states in such blatant honesty that it knocks the wind out of Louis.

Louis doesn’t let himself be reassured; he is much too afraid that it is all a façade soon to crumble down around him with one gutless victim. “You would kill any wolf in this pack.”

Harry did not desist, there was a fire behind the throbbing emerald of his eyes that could not be driven to extinguishment. “I would die for you.”

“You would not-” Louis’ instinct is to deny, shaking his head fervently as he does so.

The Alpha cuts Louis’ doubts off with a gentle tug. He sought Louis’ gaze to pin with his own but the Omega was avoiding his focus. Louis was afraid of it being the truth. “I have pushed you so far away that you cannot see my earnest honesty.”

Louis grabbed Harry’s wrist to prevent the Alpha further touching him. Each graze was such an expert comfort that it suffocated Louis’ will to remain steadfast. “I know what is real and it is not this, Alpha.”

“Look again then.” Harry captured either side of Louis’ face, searching those familiar eyes for some semblance of reprieve. “If you leave me, I will search so not even death can stop me.”

“Don’t say that.” Louis defeatedly murmurs after a hiccup. He meets Harry’s eye shamelessly, but betrayed. “You had me for so long and never bothered to tell me any of this. Lying to me now is only cruel. I’ve done nothing to deserve that.”

Harry has paid Louis a handful of graceful compliments, all of which were void of endearments and cold for an Alpha addressing his mate. A dominant’s commitment to their Omega must be whole and devote without room for doubt, but Louis knew Harry to be a different breed of wolf in this private regard and thus never tried to have more. Affection almost never came his way but Louis would not complain; he was above that.

Except now he cannot allow himself to be fooled. The man before him is part beast and more comfortable with that primal state than civility. Louis loves this pack and would not forsake the effort he’s put into holding fort while Harry delved  into Council matters, but he also does not deserve a callous mating. Harry threatened him with another Omega, which is the ultimate disgrace to any submissive, and Louis cannot harbour that pain any longer.

“This pack is home to us both.” Harry rasped.

His breath was torn like his determination as he released Louis, his one Omega, and stepped back entirely. Whatever he let leave him in an excruciating revelation folded back into itself and hid away, leaving the detached Alpha Louis knows well standing tall and rigid.

“I will not deprive this pack of the only leading Omega to be so committed to it.” Harry continues, fists tightening at his sides. His restraint was poor and quickly failing at the sight of Louis so dishevelled and heartbroken. “If you will not stay for me then stay for my wolves. Allow them your love if I cannot have it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You asked for more and now look what I've done.


	3. III

The celebration of the Falling Star came to be a thousand years ago and has been the core of any wolf pack’s festivities for just as long. Harry’s wolves are no less eager to indulge in the tradition this full moon now that they believe all obstacles for their leading mated pair have been overcome. Louis lives in the packhouse once again but in a separate bedroom from his Alpha so that he retires each night to the home his pack recognises to be the rightful one for him. Three weeks after returning to what slivers of routine him and Harry could rekindle has Louis filling his clothing like he used to, smiling at those who addressed him and visiting Niall once a day to discuss the state of his personal affairs.

“You know they’re going to want to see you two together tonight.” Niall comments to his companion. Their tea has turned cold while Louis took to sitting on the floor in front of the fire, poking at the lump of ash beneath burning logs.

“I know.” Louis is transfixed by the flames; it offers a mental numbness so he may escape this bothersome reality. “I haven’t spoken to Harry about it.”

During the first festival hosted by their wolf ancestors, mated couples still in their prime and youth were celebrated. It symbolised a future for the wolf race at a time when they were almost extinct and that sacred importance cannot be bypassed for a dispute. If Harry is willing as well then Louis will sit beside him under the moon tonight to satisfy their pack’s wishes during their celebrations.

“Has he said anything at all? It’s been a month since-”

Louis cleared his throat. “He hasn’t and I don’t think I want him to.”

“You are my best friend and I will take the liberty to be blunt with you, Lou.” Niall wakes from his couch and joins Louis on the ground, pulling the latter’s eye from the fire. He ignores Louis’ apprehension to speak honestly. “A position of power is what every wolf desires when eligible, but it is also a wonderful honour to achieve something like what you two have. Centuries of wolves have existed as leading pairs but only a few we remember, the wisest and kindest that did great things for our kind.”

“What are you saying, Ni?” Louis prompts after a stifling minute of silence.

Niall captured Louis’ hands on his knees and squeezed lightly. “It is an insult to our forefathers to let this fight ruin the height of your relationship. You are weaker apart, whether either of you believes that or not. What gave Harry this privilege is more noteworthy than his bloodline and what gave him you should not be thanked so callously.”

*    *    *    *    *

Harry was not at his desk as he usually is nor was he dressed to a flawless detail as has become custom to witness. Louis walked in on the Alpha in his study and stopped short at the sight of Harry on the floor, one knee bent in the air for his elbow to rest on. He had papers scattered about him whilst in a partial state of nudity, and Louis could curse at how blind he was.

The Alpha is no different physically for it would be a sign of death if a dominant allowed themselves to shrivel even in the worst of distress. Harry had the same chiselled but mountainous physique as always; hunched shoulders that buckled under mighty muscle and arms that rippled from every twitch. It was not on his skin that which concerned Louis.

“What’s wrong?” The Omega had another purpose in coming here but couldn’t seem to remember it now.

Harry is a proud beast and he would die in combat before admitting that he was growing weak in the heart. Beneath his eyes were bruises from empty slumbers and his fingers trembled from a profound restlessness at the sight of Louis. His breaths caused his chest to sink further in than usual, adding a hollow illusion to his torso that only complemented the gloom which seemed to shadow Harry.

“Nothing, little Omega.” Harry lowered his knee and gestured to the only seat in the room. He watched Louis’ eyes scan the sofa by the window which he slept in often in simpler days, but that stout structure has become Harry’s bed now. “I wasn’t aware you’d be returning to me today.”

Louis did not bother to correct any of Harry’s wording. He closed the door behind him because some Betas were in the kitchen downstairs and their hearing is as expert as an Alpha’s. “I thought you slept in one of the guestrooms.”

Harry met Louis’ eye with an intensity that did nothing to ease the latter’s nerves, just caused the extinguished spark in his chest to ignite. “I would rather not explain my reasoning for this decision.”

Louis did not have to make Harry say it for he already knew. The Alpha was familiar with two rooms in this house: their bedroom and his study. If he was banished from one then the other became his solace, because it’s the only place Louis’ scent remained as pungent as in the other. Without thinking much, Louis stripped off his jacket and shoes to dump in the doorway. He feels Harry’s stare burning into his back like hot coal when he lifts the Alpha’s disarrayed blanket and fits himself gracefully beneath it.

He was leaving a piece of himself in Harry’s new arrangement for a bed by scenting the sheets, and his reason for it could not be put into adequate words. Some relations and ties between two souls run much deeper than any mind could comprehend, with age and silent bonding. Louis may have felt alone in this mating but if he parted from it the isolation would be a thousand times worse. Harry has come to want no other in this world and it’s because he _knows_ Louis fits the vacant space against his heart. Years together and they know all there is to know about each other, which made this separation all the more bitter.

Harry did not wake from the floor to react when Louis laid down on his bed; he looked away as if fighting his own instinctual response and inhaled sharply with a shuddery expel of air. Louis thought he might do nothing more and so went on to speak, but the Alpha suddenly shuffled across the floor to where he was. Harry took Louis’ hand in his and held on, linking their fingers in a tangle.

“Why are you here with me?” Harry spoke against Louis’ wrist, sounding deranged with some type of longing.

Louis was not going to deprive himself as an Omega who has neared his Alpha after too much time. He frees his other hand from under the thin sheets and threads his fingers through Harry’s hair, frowning at the state of it. “Tonight is the Falling Star festival.”

“Hmm.” Harry sat back against the couch leg, keeping Louis’ hand prisoner in his. “Our wolves are quite thrilled to have an excuse to be inebriated.”

“They’ve earned it.” Louis defends. He wiggles a little closer to the edge and his breath hitches when Harry doesn’t hold back from nuzzling his calf. “They also deserve to have their leading mated pair attend the festivities.”

Harry’s eyes were closed and his entire body turned more tranquil than it’s ever been. He encircled the boy’s shin with a broad paw and tugged the limb a little closer to him for the delicate scent it harboured. “If you consent then I would be honoured to accompany you.”

*    *    *    *    *

Louis has never seen their wolves so content as they immersed themselves in the celebrations of ancient wolves, and neither has Harry. Everyone was well onto their way to being intoxicated by the alcohol and food their pack Alpha had spared no expense to supply. They danced around the tallest bonfire their pack has ever hoisted under the stars for hours after dusk, losing themselves to laughter and joy in entirety.

The pups had sought comfort all in their wolf forms at the edge of the clearing but still in clear view of any given adult to watch them. Daniel had been turned down by Harry when he asked to invite outside wolves and Louis agreed with his Alpha; this is for their own pack to enjoy without hindrance from intruders. Niall had asked Louis to dance with him and it almost did enough to distract both Omegas from just how scorching Harry’s glare had evolved to be.

“He’s looking at you.” Niall had dragged Louis into the cusp of the dancing brethren, each of which circled the other as they swayed and gyrated.

Louis was concentrating on keeping his back to where Harry sat taking swigs from an endless supply of laden glass bottles. The Alpha had not so much as erred in his introductory speech or any statement made thereafter. “I know.”

Niall took his friend’s defeated expression with a dash of improvisation. “Dance with him.”

The instruction was laced with command, and although it came from an Omega lower in ranking than Louis he knew better than to disobey in this regard. The night would go on for as long as it took for him and Harry to avoid sharing in a dance – the act that will seal their celebrations with a crimson kiss.

“He doesn’t dance.” Louis answers with what he is bound to hear from Harry when he approaches the dominant.

Niall considers this for a heartbeat before winking and directing the spin of Louis’ body so the latter was met with the bare chest of the only Alpha gathered presently to permanently bruise him beyond his skin. Louis has to tilt his head back to catch Harry’s eye, enough of a surprise victim to smile wryly before bowing his head again.

“I hardly think so.” Harry cradles the back of Louis’ skull as his other arm ropes in the Omega’s hips, tugging him close enough to connect skin. He heard Louis’ deep inhale when the boy’s lips met his shoulder, and it rendered a brief flush of heat through him. “Do not look away from me.”

Louis would not pick a fight this night when each wolf surrounding them was in high spirits. He welcomed Harry’s arms around him and flinched at the sound of a bottle crashing nearby. “Don’t sleep in your study anymore.”

“With all due respect, little Omega, that choice is not yours.” Harry pressed his lips against Louis’ temple. “I sleep in my study because it is my punishment.”

“How do you mean?” Louis squeaked when Harry lifted him over a rock rather than aided his stepping around it.

The Alpha contemplates his response for a moment while he resettles into the warmth of Louis’ embrace, however cautious. “That study is where I spent my hours rather than with you.”

Louis’ eyelids were leaden and he allowed his weight to lean on Harry so that he may close them. “Any leading Alpha is a busy one, Harry. I never hated you for that.”

“I am meant to be mostly occupied by the Council and affairs of this pack, yes. But you are my mate and I resent ever neglecting you.” Harry growls at the memory of his own insolence.

The words pained Louis, each wedging itself a little deeper than the previous in his chest. “What happened to the other Omega?”

“I was never going to take her as my mate, this I swear to you by my blood.” Harry whispered, his voice weighed down by his own grieving actions. “Forgive me, Omega, but my reason for never reassuring you was that I…I hoped for such a reaction as the one you gave me.”

Louis’ skin burned where it touched Harry’s at hearing this, and he made to push the Alpha away but was restrained. He felt anger like oil in his veins that contaminated his inner peace in such a vile intrusion of his senses. Turmoil is not something he desired and to hear that Harry _hoped_ for it by lying to him in such a heartless manner, only wounded the Omega further.

“You lied to me.” Louis dug his nails into Harry’s forearms and forced some distance between them, glaring powerfully at the Alpha. “You’re telling me this now because I will not disrupt the pack’s celebrations.”

Harry said nothing, not even the muscle in his jaw ticked when he meant to say something. He was as still as stone but not afraid enough to avoid Louis’ eye.

The Omega felt crippled by this revelation and could only shake his head, looking down to hide the tears that came forth. He wiped them away with a loud sniffle and looked up with blinding infuriation, all his rage and hurt showing through his narrowed glare. “You’re a monster, Harry. No worthy Alpha would think so little of their mate to treat them that way.”

“I do not disagree.” Harry took a step closer to the volatile beauty, his head lowered and eyes piercing. He licked his lips to end their trembling. For a minute he had nothing more to utter until he suddenly dropped his knees and wrapped himself around Louis, breathing raggedly and pleading in despair. “May I earn my forgiveness, little Omega?”

Louis did not look up for he feared the many eyes now focusing on them; he swallowed his resolve and the patience that came with it. A tear fell to Harry’s dark curls and Louis found himself clutching the Alpha with matching desperation. “My forgiveness is yours.”

When Harry exhaled on a shudder into Louis’ belly, the last thing the latter expected was to be lifted off the ground by the backs of his thighs and raised high enough to be taller than any other wolf present. Harry’s voice was like a cracking whip in the night and demanded by itself to be taken heed of.

“This is the Omega who would bleed for you, and I am his Alpha! Look to him for love and compassion.” Harry declares thunderously over the rustling of the trees and restlessness of nocturnal creatures. He meets Louis’ eye when he finishes and the howls of their wolves drown their ebbing sorrow. “But I retain the right to be at his feet for the rest of my life.”

*    *    *    *    *

Certain rules were put in place for wolf packs generations ago when the forefathers were less certain of their future, but no less traditional anyway. When the pack Alpha finally bonds then no lower mated pair may conceive a child until the lead pair has done so; it is one of their strictest customs to honour their prevalent hierarchy. To disobey one would be asking for exile from their pack as it is a direct insult to their pack Omega’s status and capabilities.

When Louis heard of Angelica’s pregnancy he ran out of the packhouse with Niall just behind him, and didn’t bother with casual greetings of any wolf as he passed them. Harry could not find out about this or any and all progress the Alpha has made to be at the command of a kinder nature will be tossed to Hell. As leader he will fit back into the suit of one with a gruesome track record before throwing Angelica out of the pack, pregnant and vulnerable.

The guilty Omega’s cabin has a permanent open door and Louis almost flies into the new territory with panic written all across his face. He finds others already here in Angelica’s living room, sitting around the weeping Omega where she sat curled up on the couch shaking with all the emotions running through her. Louis ignores the many eyes that fall to him when he enters, and puts his hand up to stop Daniel from approaching him.

“Everyone out.” He instructs with a dismissive wave. Daniel opens his mouth to speak, thinking the worst of why Louis has come. “Out, Daniel. Now.”

Louis is not further disputed. Every wolf occupying a space in Angelica’s home makes themselves scarce but Daniel does not try to be discreet as he lingers by the doorway. Niall touches Louis’ arm in a silent warning before leaving as well, shutting the door behind him.

Angelia is wrapped up in a woollen quilt from head to toe but none of the fabric offers her solace from the chill that is harvesting her shivers. She stares at Louis wide-eyed and fearful because such a visit can only mean her extrication from the only pack home she’s ever known. Being a strawberry blonde with facial features to rival an international beauty and having her height complement that fairness, made her an even favourite among the Alphas anywhere. Except Louis _knows_ every member of this pack and this isn’t making sense.

“What happened to you?” He came to her side and sat on her right, concern evident in his words. “You never wanted babies, Angel.”

“I don’t.” She sobbed, unable to stop the fresh onslaught of tears. Her voice was throttled by her grief. “H-He found me w-when I was coming back from the….-”

“Shh. It’s alright.” Louis let Angelica cry on his shoulder, wrapping both arms around her whilst knowing that it must mean little comfort from such a horror as this. He kissed the top of her head. “Is he from our pack?”

Angelica shook her head. “He sm-smelt of pine.”

Louis winced; there’s nothing like experiencing the most horrendous form of defilement with such trauma that it blocks out what hurt most. He held his wolf tighter, let her tears stain his clothes and wished to take the pain from her. “Don’t be afraid, Angel. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Alpha Harry.” Angelica abruptly straightened her back and looked bewildered yet stricken with fright. “He’s going to disown me. I-I can’t- I have no-nowhere to go! _He’ll find me again o-out there._ ”

“Shh. Shh, what did I say?” Louis hugged the trembling Omega at his side, holding her close to his heart and whispering in her ear to be soothing. “You have nothing to be afraid of. Harry will do no such thing.”

Angelica was not so easily won; she peered up at Louis with hope nonetheless. Hope that should not be present in an Omega once so wilful and courageous. “What if he does?”

Louis knew there is no way of keeping this from Harry but he is certain that the Alpha won’t be justified in throwing out an Omega who didn’t deserve such callousness. “I won’t let him.”

*    *    *    *    *

Harry was with his hunters when he found out about Angelica and it was enough to drive him mad. He was on the edge of something colossal for these past few days after reuniting Louis but any progress thereafter has come at a snail’s pace. The last thing he needed was something to disrupt his temperamental calm as it hung by a thread already. Before any of his companions could stop him Harry roared and took off through the trees in the direction of Angelica’s home, seeing red the whole way to the door. He leaped over their territory gate and growled at the guards who tried to question him, storming through the woods by forging his own path through it.

This abominable act of misconduct cannot be left unpunished no matter how sweet everyone knows Angelica to be. Harry saw this as a confounded notion aimed at offending his darling Omega who stood as half of the leading pair. Tradition dictated that Harry has every right to do with Angelica for her detriment as he wished, and he was going to make sure it paid out.

Angelica’s door is swinging gently because of someone just pushing it out of their way, and the familiar silhouette of which it is stops Harry in his tracks. Louis comes down a step in front of the Alpha when Harry changes back to a man who can act with words. There’s burning resolve in the dominant’s eye that Louis worries about almost as much as the darkness forming its shroud scares him.

“Alpha, no.” Louis says cautiously, knowingly. He meets Harry halfway up the staircase and braces his palms on the Alpha’s bare torso. Barely any strength existing behind his grip compared to Harry should the Alpha decide to push him away.

“No?” Harry’s jaw is screwed tight. His words were ground out with a twinge of fury, deceptive agony. “Let me handle this, Omega. It is in your name.”

“Harry, stop. Listen to me.” Louis stepped to the side when Harry tried to manoeuvre around him. The Alpha’s anger was radiating off his skin in heated waves, caused the seizure of his muscles and tightening of his core. “She did not consent to this. She was….- She was attacked.”

This news did make Harry pause for a moment. He froze in his Omega’s grip as a statue of pure tension. “A wolf of mine was violated?”

Louis’ arms dropped to his sides as he let Harry return to his personal space. An Alpha is at the mercy of all domineering characteristics which their elders laid out before them, and it ran through them thicker than blood when it boiled. They couldn’t control it especially when in power and nobody expected them to.

“Yes.” Louis answered regrettably. “She told me he found her when she was returning from an Omega gathering.”

“Does she remember who the Alpha was?” Harry snarled, his head whipping to the side in disgust at the mention of this vileness. His voice thundered in an echo of his aggravation. “I would have his _head on my wall!_ ”

Louis recalled what Angelica told him. “She killed him.”

Surprise widened Harry’s eye. “When?”

“I would have her tell you but she’s just about cried out and doesn’t want to go through that again.” The Omega admits, glancing over his shoulder at the empty doorway. He turned back and Harry was staring at him from a foot below, head tilted to the side. “This is not the place to discuss this.”

“Fine.” Harry acknowledged the uninstructed pack member who brought him pants and shoes with a grateful nod. Louis has been around naked wolves so often that he should be indifferent to Harry’s current nudity but that was not the case; he had to look away when silence befell their conversation. “Let me see her. She deserves to be reassured by me that no punishment awaits her.”

*    *    *    *    *

Harry sat with Angelica for hours more than Louis expected him to but even so, the Omega hung around Angelica’s kitchen  for every minute. He heard little of what they said because Harry rarely spoke other than to whisper some comfort in Angelica’s ear. The Alpha was an inordinarily gentle presence sitting on the couch beside one of his most vulnerable wolves presently, fulfilling the role of a caring leader to an extent that surprised Louis.

Angelica decided when she wanted to be alone and the time came when Daniel returned after his hunting duties. He could not disrespect their laws by living with her outside of a Bond but Harry was aware enough to forsake all knowledge or sight of such a reality. It made Louis smile to see his Alpha walk speedily from the cabin when Daniel entered, raising his hand to the side of his face so he physically did not see the latter and could deny it entirely later on.

“Thank you for doing that.” Louis walked beside Harry through the night to the packhouse. Others were already gathering by the bonfire but Louis didn’t have it in him to join.

Harry was painfully silent though he held Louis’ hand and slowed to stroll at the Omega’s pace on the dead leaves. “You must not thank me for honouring my duty.”

“You didn’t have to stop and listen to me, but you did anyway.” Louis refuted calmly. He entered the packhouse and experienced a warmth that only safety brought in an Omega.

“Our pack is not inspected by the Council. They will not know if every wolf who knows chooses to forget.” Harry did not release Louis’ hand when the boy turned to enter the kitchen. He followed while still joined to his mate.

Louis listened to his own stomach rumble as a reminder that he hasn’t eaten all day due to being at Angelica’s aid. He squeezed Harry’s hand in his before letting go and going to the refrigerator for any sign of a snack. It was easy to be ignorant of his Alpha’s distress at his back when the man settled into a barstool at the island and laced his fingers together to keep them occupied. What was not complex to detect is Harry’s eyes boring to Louis’ back at every move.

“Omega.” Harry watched Louis ready a frying pan and set out a chopping board across from him. “I may not be entitled to ask this of you but may I nonetheless?”

Louis frowned quizzically at the introduction to Harry’s request. He nodded to urge the Alpha along whilst slicing a bell pepper down the centre. “Sure.”

Harry raised his head from where it was bowed. He could see the way Louis’ spiked anxiety caused his hands to tremble just the slightest, and for his bottom lip to be drawn between his molars. There’s nothing the Alpha could do to offer solace when such symptoms haunted him as well. “Can I see it?”

The knife Louis held fell to the ground with an obnoxious clatter. He looked to Harry in alarm. “The mark?”

His Alpha nodded barely but Louis could see its consent and in that motion all the air left his lungs, all the energy seeped outward from his nerves. Something tightened in his chest when he thought of the Bond mark Harry left on him that the Alpha rejected all knowledge of afterwards. Louis was taunted by aggression the night Harry gave it to him, the symbol of their incomplete mating forever ripped into his flesh.

“Okay.” It stung something bitter-sweet to witness a light flicker in Harry’s eye when he was not denied. He was always so proud of the hideous scar he bothered to leave on Louis’ body for an eternity.

Enough time was drawn out for Louis when he asked to finish his food and shower before obliging the Alpha’s request. Harry assured him he would display no impatience and remained in the Omega’s company wordlessly for as long as he was allowed. Louis came out of the bathroom dressed as he always is for sleep, save for the absence of lengthy pants beneath his larger than life T-shirt. He felt worse than a newly Bonded Omega did and paced on the other side of the door while Harry awaited his return.

The dominant was a shadow outline in the darkness of their formerly shared bedroom. He sat hunched over on the bed until Louis entered the room; his eyes were all for the beauty at that moment. Louis tried to be nonchalant about it and, bless his heart, Harry did not so much as chuckle at the Omega’s hidden fret. He let Louis come to him in his own time, sitting up perfectly straight in reception of his mate.

Louis stepped between Harry’s legs, standing with stiff posture against his Alpha. The mark Harry desired the sight of lay on his thigh, the most private inner flesh where he’d forced his way to too long ago. That memory never failed to make Louis wince and experience the horror all over again so he repeatedly smothered any uprising it threatened.

Harry had acted on impulse that night rather than rationale, and Louis was being a trying pup instead of an adult. They both suffered the consequences of pushing one another until the handcuffs fell and Harry took what he came to claim. Being a virgin then and even now is something Louis treasures, for that could not have been if he pressed harder that night.

“You hated me for this.” Harry spoke first into the especially cold, empty night. His eyes were silver once more as his wolf peered out as well at the glorious marking. “For a long time, you hated me.”

“Yes.” Louis gasped and jumped back when Harry reached up, wrapping his hand around the Omega’s thigh. “I thought you were a monster for making me carry a mark I did not want.”

Harry tasted that truth like a sour pill. He leaned forward an inch to set his forehead against the warm skin where thigh met pelvis, breathing his mate’s scent in gulps. “I was. You mated a monster.”

Louis started to say something when Harry set both hands on him, bringing his response to a halt entirely. Harry tightened his hold where it rested on Louis’ upper thighs. He was not hesitant or reserved about pressing his face against the boy’s smooth skin, nuzzling the familiar exterior with a remarkable shudder. Louis was going to push him away but Harry was most skilled in sculpting his home against Louis’ body; there is no denying an Alpha’s strength.

“I never want to be a monster again.” Harry breathes shallowly and in tandem with his rabbiting heartbeat. “Not to you, little Omega.”

Instinctively, Louis went with the encouragement of his inner Omega because a gut feeling enforced by a primitive nature could not be doubted. He was forceful and rushed to prevent stopping himself. It might be the stupidest decision of his life although left unknown for now, but Louis has waited _too long_ to be sure in trusting his Alpha to forfeit this opportunity to be close to Harry.

Harry’s lips against him are momentarily stunned but no less willing once he recovers. The Alpha growls, the sound of his wolf howling in celebration from the depths of his chest. He tasted Louis’ lips for the first time and clutched the Omega to him with inhuman desire, craning his neck to be closer to Louis’ height. It could be described if words were on either mate’s mind, but all Louis experienced was touch.

Sensations ran havoc through Louis’ system and lit nerves on fire he had no idea existed within him. It scared him – _terrified_ even – to imagine that Harry had such a shattering effect on him with minimal intimacy. The mark on his thigh became heated, uncomfortable and Louis whimpered from how irritating the feeling was until Harry sought to end it. The Alpha stood for a second so he might lift Louis off the ground and drop them both onto the bed, his body effortlessly cloaking Louis’.

“I’m sorry.” Harry fumbled before connecting their hands, breathing raggedly against Louis’ throat where he savoured his mate’s sweet pulse. He parted his lips and latched onto the soft, perfumed skin with undoubtable greed.

Louis felt his own fears drown themselves under the scrutiny of passion, and it numbed every bit of his reluctance. He drew Harry to his neck with a hand tangled in the Alpha’s hair, listening to his own contented sounds as his mate paid mind to his skin. “What for?”

Harry’s hand slipped under Louis’ shirt and raised goosebumps in a steady trail across the boy’s belly button. He smirked at the hitch in Louis’ throat when he pinched the Omega’s belly or nipped at his jugular where a straining pulse throbbed. “You are the fairest Omega I will ever have the pleasure of laying eyes on but I have not bothered to accord you that devotion.”

Louis squealed when Harry raised him off the mattress in an arch and arranged a pillow beneath his head. He was embarrassed by the sound and involuntarily covered his mouth with both hands shortly after its emission.

“Easy, little Omega.” Harry did smile at Louis’ state and lowered his lips to the boy’s forehead. He remained in a close proximity to his mate even after withdrawing, tucking himself in between Louis’ thighs. “You are no more a pup than I am.”

He waits for Harry to settle down before raising his voice from the slumber its chosen; the Alpha may almost be likened to a pup finding the heartbeat of its mother in the way that Harry nestles into him. “It doesn’t feel like that sometimes.”

Harry makes a curious sound against Louis’ chest as his way of asking for an elaboration.

“I enjoy every aspect of my responsibility and obligations to this pack.” Louis says first, carding his fingers through Harry’s hair casually. “Although at times it feels like any day now I’m going to let them down. I’m scared that my everything won’t be enough one day.”

When Louis could not stare at the ceiling any longer he lowered his gaze to find Harry’s eyes already lingering on him. It may waver from his chin to his eyelashes but Harry’s focus never strayed further. It puzzled Louis when the corners of Harry’s mouth twitched, almost as if he wanted to smile but such an act was foreign to the Alpha’s features.

“What’s so funny?” Louis asks anyway, hurt at the Alpha’s amusement.

Harry shook his head before resting his cheek on Louis’ heart again. “To fear failure is to be certain you’re a good leader.”

Louis can hardly believe that. “How can that be?”

“I never told you about my first days as pack Alpha.” Harry pulled away entirely from Louis, sitting as far away from Louis as the bed will allow. He sets his back against the bedpost, his posture rigid and his legs flat out in front of him. “An existing pack Alpha must be sure in the one they’ve chosen to succeed them. Sure in power and even more so in strength. My father had chosen three wolves, my pack brothers, and made them my competitors for his throne.”

Louis didn’t expect to hear the horrors of his Alpha’s past but he longed for the intimacy that came with it. There was nothing but pain in leading such a life but he wanted to share in it so Harry did not have to bear it alone.

“He was aware of my trust and faith in them as fighters. They were the closest I could have come to f _riends._ ” Harry spat bitterly; there was no joy left in his memories. “He changed their wolves and scents so I would not recognise them. I had to hunt my own brothers to appease him, to earn his place as the leader of this pack.”

“Harry.” His Omega would be monstrously robotic if he did not care to sympathise. Louis crawled his way to the foot of the bed and planted himself at the Alpha’s side. “He was cruel for making you do that. You’re not that kind of Alpha.”

“For a time that is what I thought it meant to be pack Alpha.” Harry reached over and clasped Louis’ knee. “Until I had to visit a little wolf pack known for taking in too many strays and had to be reprimanded. Your pack, little Omega.”

Louis stiffens at the mention of his old home. He loved those wolves almost as much as he treasures this pack, but there was too much diversity in one place and it tore their unity apart. Harry had walked in that day as an ambassador of the Council to declare that welcoming as many Rogue wolves as they had would call for a thorough judgment behind their motives. Louis was warned to stay as far away from the packhouse that day as he could but one of the pups had escaped his watch and he’d much rather be seen than let a pup get hurt.

*    *    *    *    *

_“Watch them for me, April.” Louis muttered hurriedly as he rose to his feet and ran from their tiny meadow._

_He’s meant to be caring for the pups while the adults entertained whichever visiting Council member was hushed and herded into the packhouse before anyone could see. Louis enjoyed his babysitting duties each time it was handed to him but today is not the day to be chasing pups around in the dirt to save their skin. His father might not dish out any form of punishment in tribute to his never dying kindness, but Louis knew better than to get in the way of official business._

_The most spirited from the litter he ought to be guarding is three-year-old Theo who savoured his dusty grey wolf form to run about in. The rules mattered little to him when he felt so invincible and though it made him irrevocably adorable, such a trait also made him Louis’ only liability in mischief._

_“Theo?” Louis went to the place where the rascal made his hideaway. It was beneath the packhouse and dangerously close to where his father’s study was. “Theo?! Please come here, bub. We’ll play some other time.”_

_Louis was on his knees crawling underneath the packhouse’s wooden foundation into the despairing emptiness it contained. He listened as best he could for signs for the pup’s whereabouts but for several minutes there was nothing, just the heavy thumping of boots overhead and an occasional screaming match. Louis makes a mental note to ask his father what all the shouting was about._

_His insides twist in the most nauseating manner when he glances out the side exit and finds Theo yapping at the packhouse doors._

_“Oh crap!” Louis rushes out from the dirt, scraping his knees and hands with his urgency pushing him on. He sprints along the side of the house to the frontdoor, breathing a sigh of relief when Theo comes into sight. “Thank God.”_

_Except the door opens at the moment Louis lets himself stop worrying and slow down. The Alpha that steps out is frighteningly tall and carrying all the muscle he can without being broader than the doorway. Hair fell to his shoulders in deep brown curls; a sharp noise and pronounced jawline completed the look that nearly black eyes initiated. His expression is morbidly tight, angry at one too many things in the world and it radiates from the dominant soul like paralysing rays. What Louis detects however is steamrolled by the Alpha not seeing Theo in his path, and only pausing his command to another when the pup playfully growls._

_“Shit.” Louis curses to himself as he breaks into a run again, blind to the man crouching down to pick Theo up. “Wait!”_

_The Alpha turns his head to see Louis coming his way, but does not release the fur of Theo’s nape as he stands with a whimpering pup in hand. Louis stops himself before he can crash into the foreign Alpha, neglecting his own breathlessness to ask for Theo back._

_“I’m so sorry.” He looks to the Alpha desperately, grateful that his father has not made an appearance. “Please don’t hurt him.”_

_“Your pups are liberals so young.” The towering other remarks. He is an admiring observer of how Louis cradles the restless little one when he is returned. “He tried to challenge me.”_

_Louis could hardly care for what the Alpha had to say now that he’s brimming with relief. “Theo thinks he’s all grown up already. Nothing to fear, Alpha.”_

_“Oh I am aware of that. You smell like the pack Alpha.” The Alpha deadpans, noticing Louis’ attention divert to someone approaching them from within the packhouse and turns to shut the door. “Are you his mate?”_

_“No!” Louis gasps, absentmindedly stroking Theo’s stumpy tail. “He’s my father.”_

_Something in that response causes a flicker of acceptance in his companion’s eye, and Louis decides it is time to leave. He smiles as best he can, sweet and polite like he’s always been taught._

_“It was lovely meeting you, Alpha. Excuse me.” He bows his head slightly out of respect before taking his leave swiftly._

_For many days there was nothing heard of the estranged visiting Council Alpha except that his name was Harry Styles, and he withdrew the suspicion on Louis’ pack. Everything was almost allowed to return to normal after such a scare, until winter arrived and there was a knock on the door that turned Louis’ life on its head. He was in his room to have some of his own company when his father came to him, wearing a most solemn expression. Louis could get no answers from the man as he was led from his room and downstairs into the packhouse study._

_Harry Styles was there. Louis was so lost to confusion at seeing the Alpha again, and backed away shaking his head when nobody would answer his questions. He screamed even when his father grabbed his arm and pushed him nearer to this stranger, but there was no mercy for him that day. Harry was deaf to Louis’ pleas, no matter the abundance in which they came, but he was considerate enough to forbid any other wolf touching Louis when they left for the last time._

*    *    *    *    *

“It was the worst day of your life.” Louis’ Alpha could see it in his eyes that he’d taken a trip back to when their mating had been so mechanical, forced on such a scared Omega. “I am sorry I did not care enough to change that.”

Louis was hugging his knees to keep from bringing any sorrow to the surface. “I forgave you for that.”

“I did not deserve it then.” Harry wouldn’t risk touching the Omega now when the air between them was thick with resurrected tragedy. “If it may be of consolation, even then I would look at you and see a beautiful Omega who deserved to choose a more worthy mate. I saw the Omega whose life I stole so I would not be lonely.”

There was no stopping it when Louis felt the sting at the back of his eyes and it spread to the rim where tears spilled over on their own accord, not from pain but from an emotional heaviness. He let go of his self-embrace to launch himself gracelessly at Harry. The Alpha is surprised, no doubt by the way he stops breathing for a moment, but recovers soon enough to hold Louis as assuredly as the Omega reciprocates.

“You took nothing from me.” Louis says through a clogged throat and nose. He’s never felt warmer as when Harry cradles the back of his neck and kisses his forehead. “Everything happens for a reason. I certainly would not be here if I didn’t believe that and if I didn’t believe you deserved a chance.”

Harry’s fought enough to scar every form and state he possesses but there’s no victory like tasting the trust one lost, nor is their agony like losing the one who gave it back. “I forfeited any such chance, little Omega.”

“You’re a man of consequence, Harry.” Louis caught Harry’s chin between his thumb and index finger, redirecting the Alpha’s gaze to him alone. “Consequence and dreadful circumstances.”

“Do not make excuses for me. I do not _deserve_ it.” Harry brushes Louis’ wrist aside and tilts them back onto the bed, pinning Louis’ arms down with no more than childish strength. He trails his knuckles along the boy’s bare forearm, following heated path with his lips.

Louis has not had Harry be so forward with him at any point in their mating but he had no objection to the Alpha’s gentle touch now. There was something hidden in the way he pressed his lips to Louis’ pulse and held them there most peacefully; Harry had no intention of making Louis uncomfortable by pushing his bounds.

“Sleep with me tonight.” Louis realises an obvious implication of what he never meant as soon as he’s said it. Heat rises to his cheeks as he rectifies his comment. “Not… _that._ Just lay with me.”

“I know what you meant.” Harry offers his mate no strain by picking him up and lowering him in the corner of their bed that’s always haphazard. Louis never did the bed and Harry never thought to question him.

Owls are rare in their parts but there’s one tonight hooting louder than the crickets are causing a racket in the fields. Louis doesn’t remember the last time he let his wolf go wild under moon, not for pack celebrations or to escape something but merely to have nature the way it’s meant to be had. He pulls Harry’s arm over his hip and to his chest, thinking about skipping dinner tomorrow to run in the woods. It excites him to have a prospect so easily achievable but meaningful in his grasp.

“You are pleasantly uneasy.” Harry’s voice knocks Louis off his reverie’s pedestal. He frees his hand from Louis’ briefly to splay his fingers over the Omega’s heart, imitating the unhindered pulse with light drumming of his fingertips.

The low rasp pressed to his nape – a most sensitive part of an Omega – does the opposite of what it usually triggers. He feels safe and warm. “I want to run tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t that be a sight.” Harry sounds awed already by the image of Louis’ wolf sprinting through the trees, swimming in the lake. “You promise to be within our territory?”

Louis chews on his bottom lip. “I wanted to go to the sea.”

“You may.” Harry consented. “I will be with you if you venture that far outside our borders.”

“But no one else.” Louis quickly adds in a panic. He will allow Harry into his little escape – desires it even – but no other wolf is welcome for now. “Please. Just you.”

Harry hums, agreeing without verbal word. His mate makes a soft sound at the back of his throat when Harry drags him impossibly closer, revealing his intention only when the Alpha licks a thin stripe across his pulse.

“We’re going to sleep. You don’t have to scent me.” Louis says indignantly. He fought to keep his breathing level but his heart was a lost cause.

“Do you wish to scent me in return?” Harry had an unrecognisable slur when he spoke now, as if tasting Louis’ skin so plainly had caused his drunkenness.

Such an alteration made Louis giggle and stop short before he could be questioned. “Maybe tomorrow, Alpha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if you guys want another chapter? It can end here, should you wish. Let me know what you think o.O 
> 
> Instagram @sumans98


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You asked for it, so here we go.

Louis was a vision where he stood up on the tallest boulder Harry could find for him to claim. His Omega has never seemed prouder now that his got no tasks for the day and been stolen from Niall’s cabin to accompany his Alpha to the sea. It is the only beach any wolf got to visit for thousands of miles, hundreds of packs. Many got the time carved out of their schedules to make such a trip but Harry had to make his Omega smile, with no one else around to see it.

“It’s so pretty here.” Louis stated about the scenery fanned out before them. He finally sat down next to Harry, fidgeting in the Alpha’s shirt he’d put on after switching forms from his wolf.

Anyone could attest to Louis’ observation. The seawater drifted onto a pebble shore rather than abruptly slamming into it, withdrawing after its crept deep into the ground with no intention of truly departing. A gathering of sharp, untrustworthy rocks sat lordly to their far left where the current was always abrasive, untamed and crashed into the earth in a venomous display of power. Beyond a few meters there was a treeline never in contact with the water but leaning towards it longingly nonetheless.

Harry sat beside his mate on the highest point for much distance, staring back at the woods with sick familiarity. He cannot recall a time when he _wasn’t_ at the mercy of the trees.

“It indeed is.” The Alpha sucked in a sharp breath and lay back with his arms tucked beneath his head, ankles crossed. “It pales catastrophically in comparison to one other thing I’ve seen.”

“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere so beautiful.” Louis was none the wiser to what Harry intends to say. He lays down with his side tucked in against Harry’s, mirroring the Alpha’s posture.

Harry angled his head to the side, taking a deep whiff of his Omega’s peachy vanilla scent. “Well I don’t mean a place, not any more than I mean the owner of the sweetest scent.”

Louis raises his eyebrow, sitting back upright because he’s come to be so restless. He freezes up suddenly when Harry’s words sink in. “Me?”

“You, little Omega.” Harry propped himself up on his elbow and kissed his mate’s bicep. “Only you.”

Rather than letting his blush become too apparent, Louis folded his legs beneath his body and laughed – a kindred heart – when a wave slammed into their boulder, spraying them both with salt water. It renders far more happiness than irritation in Louis and the Omega’s giggle doesn’t die quickly. He’s on his feet before Harry can stop him and stripping off the Alpha’s shirt to jump into the calm waters. It’s of a reasonable depth so he can swim without touching the reef, and rises to the surface feeling none of the water’s chill.

“Warn me next time, Omega.” Harry comes to the edge of his perch, resting his legs on the angular vertex and raising his head from his knees to watch Louis.

Louis gently kicks his feet to keep afloat, still wearing the brightest smile anyone’s ever seen on him. “You don’t like the water?”

“On the contrary.” The corner of Harry’s mouth curls in a wicked smirk. “I adore the sea for the mystery it holds, its unparalleled destructiveness.”

“You’re making it sound like I shouldn’t be in here.” Louis is pouting, looking at his surroundings with a twist of apprehension.

Harry knows this Omega inside and out, even if he never accorded that beauty any respect. He pushes off the rock’s exterior and drops heavily into the water, chorused by Louis’ shriek. The Alpha breaks the water’s surface not two feet from Louis, indulging in the Omega’s startle with a throaty laugh.

“Come here, Omega.” Harry raised an arm out of the ocean in extension toward Louis. He frowned when Louis shook his head and submerged himself once more before he could be caught.

When Louis reappeared from the rippling stained blue of the water which the ocean chose to part with, he could not see Harry where the Alpha was standing or anywhere near the rock. Except, Louis also knows that Harry cannot leave the water so soon with how it has a gentle life of its own. He takes a chance by glancing below but just about manages to shriek and fall with an inelegant crash into the water at the sight of Harry’s silhouette darkening the water at his waist.

“Don’t do that!” Louis reprimands Harry when the Alpha makes a grab for him, failing to free himself from Harry’s arms closing around him. “It’s scary.”

His Alpha barely apologises when he lifts Louis out of the water and lowers him only when they’re closer to the rock once more. Louis had been drifting too far away from where Harry could assure his safety so the Alpha had to bring him back, but of course Harry had no subtle way of doing that.

“What do you have to fear with me?” Harry feels no shame in dragging the tip of his tongue across Louis’ pulse again. He hauls the Omega with him back to shore as the sun begins to lower in the horizon.

Louis noticed the day’s light ebbing so the night may creep out from behind the clouds, sinking its claws into the moon and dragging it out wholly for their view. Wolves were already out praising the night’s most glorious sight above, howling in unison as the time of their favoured natures nears. With such a transformation came the plummet in temperature, to which Louis is very susceptible. He’s already sneezed thrice before his feet touch the stone shoreline and the stash of his clothing by the treeline.

“I am taking you home.” Harry hands Louis a towel rather than assisting the Omega in getting dry himself. “I had a wolf bring one of the cars here.”

“Cars?” Louis wrapped the largest towel of a pastel pink shade around himself. “I thought we could run back.”

Harry shakes his head. His expression is morphing into his customary display of grim tolerance without actual instruction. “It is not safe to cross such a distance at night.”

“Oh.” Louis’ attitude sobers almost instantly. He sits on the ground where it’s dry to dress himself, grateful to find Harry already turned around. “So we’ll never get to spend the night out here?”

“I cannot speak for the future.” Harry helps Louis to his feet because he can whilst still being fully knowledgeable of the fact that the Omega does not need his aid. He finds pleasure in the way Louis’ cheeks turn bright red in lieu of their proximity, and is too fond of the vision to have it turn away. “I can only promise that this night is not good enough.”

“Then which one will be good enough?” Louis stuffs their belongings into the satchel he was allowed to bring along. Harry did not let him carry the bag when they made the coming journey, but did not object to it now.

Harry growled, unexpected and terrifying, right at Louis’ ear where the Omega’s fear can be sparked directly. The dreadful response was programmed into him at the sound of an inquisition challenging his status, regardless of whose lips it fell from. He stumbled away from Louis shortly after realising his mistake, a look of sheer horror donning his features.

“I am... _so sorry_ , Omega.” Harry returned, cupping Louis’ face in his palms and pressing his lips to the Omega’s forehead. “I never meant to scare you.”

Louis huffs out a short laugh and offers a twitchy his smile. “It’s alright. A day will come when I can snap at you in return.”

*    *    *    *    *

Louis was leaving Angelica’s cabin for the night three days later when the news reached him in the form of Niall catapulting into him at a concluding end of a sprint. Every wolf in their pack was out under the stars but none looked happy about it; that in itself should have been a red flag.

“Louis!” When Niall looked this alarmed and forewent any terms of respect with Louis in public, there was much to be worried about. “Louis, go to Harry. _Go to Harry now!_ ”

Hearing that tone of voice did not need to have Louis coaxed twice. The Omega didn’t require any further information on Harry’s location or reason for this trouble, it would dishonour their Bond to do so. Louis’ shirt barely peeled off his skin before his wolf ripped through the fabric and his paws struck the earth in a run. He was panting already with the uneasiness in his chest and unkind thundering of their strained Bond which his wolf felt like a dagger to the heart.

Harry was easy to find amongst the leaning lumber surrounding them, especially when the Alpha’s scent hung like tangible rage in the air in a clear blood red trail. Whether it was meant to lead his Omega to where the Alpha was stewing in his anguish or not, Louis didn’t care. He knew how exceptional his dominant mate was at concealing himself during a hunt in the shadows but when he fell into a quaint meadow of purple flowers, there were no sensations triggered by feeling like prey.

Louis walked in a circle restlessly with helpless mewls tumbling from his lips into the night with frosty breath. He could smell Harry like the Alpha was right beside him but there was no visual evidence. When the Omega stood from the ground in readiness to leave, a silhouette emerged from the darkness endorsed by the trees. Harry’s wolf is a mountain of strength and natural prowess when he appears before Louis, stalking forward.

There will no progress made in their wolf forms but Louis can see it Harry’s eyes that words are not what the Alpha needs. The stare directed back at him is mean, fogged over by a rage-induced monster.

Louis took a step back, an evident mistake, when Harry makes his way into the Omega’s personal space. The Alpha growls with blackened eyes and snarls when Louis lowers his head in humility; he also used the position to fit himself against his mate’s rumbling chest. Harry leans over briefly to nudge Louis’ behind with his snout rather harshly toward him, correcting his Omega’s retreat in his mind.

Something was fuelling the disturbance in Harry’s heart and Louis could feel it upsetting the balance in his Alpha, in their connection. Louis hated to see the man this way, much less watch such a man turn into a bitterly tormented wolf. He tilted his head back so he might look Harry in the eye, offering a little whine from the back of his throat.

Harry snapped his jaws at Louis’ throat and rewarded the Omega for not jumping away with slow, meaningful strokes of his tongue. The act makes Louis huff irritably and shake out his fur, only to be caught again by his nape like a pup for the Alpha to treat. Louis would roll his eyes if he was in human form but for now all he can do is rest his head on his paws and let Harry care for him without an immediate need to.

*     *    *    *    *

“You gonna tell me what happened now?” Louis stepped out of the bathroom wearing one of Harry’s T-shirts and his own underwear. He was very fond of his Alpha’s scent and affections but when that leads to his wolf fur being coated in saliva he was not half as keen.

Harry sat on their bed with his body rigid, muscles tight everywhere. He was not taking heed of a single thing around him except what Louis said to him, even that happened on slight occasion. Niall met them at the territory line with Daniel and Harry snarled viciously in their faces to send them packing. If there was ever day when Harry would _kill_ rather than have company, it’s today.

The Alpha in his bed turned to Louis with the last of his emptiness; it began to recede as Harry pushed himself into an upright position. He looked at his knuckles as he cracked each one. “I was challenged today.”

Louis’ heart stood still in his chest cavity when he heard those words. “B-By who?”

An Alpha who has been challenged no longer has dominion over his pack until the combat s fought and a bleeding victor is proclaimed. Harry had to have been visited by a worthy challenger who has the power to oppose Louis’ Alpha in his own territory.

“Viktor.” Harry sounded resigned already, and Louis knew it is a tone the Alpha would not take outside their private audience.

Louis climbs onto the bed and sidles up against Harry cautiously. Viktor is a fellow Council member, much older and much stronger than Harry is. He led the committee of Alphas once until it was decided that an equal involvement from all Council parties would be more democratic. From what Louis’ seen from Viktor in short run-ins is that the Alpha is very accommodating and forgiving. This turn of events is puzzling to everyone.

“Why?” Louis can only ask, allowing Harry to stroke nonsensical patterns into his thigh. “Viktor’s always been…so nice.”

“Don’t!” Harry roars horrifically. “He is our ally no longer so it would best if you never spoke of him-”

“In a good light?” Louis offered softly. He smiles when Harry meets his eye with a scowl that furthers Louis’ light humour. “You know Viktor would not do this without reason.”

The Alpha clasping Louis’ hips with enough intensity to bruise does not care. “There is no _reason_ I would excuse. He has insulted my _regnum_ and there is no forgiveness for that.”

“We’re throwing Latin around now?” Louis frees himself from Harry’s grasp only to shuffle his way onto the dominant’s lap, batting the evasive paws threatening to grab hold of him again so he can cup Harry’s face in an unwelcome maternal manner. “Did you bother asking him why he’s doing this?”

Harry narrowed his gaze on Louis before he emitted a defeated steady growl. “No.”

“Then you must.” Louis lowers his arms to encircle Harry’s tense shoulders, holding his lips against the Alpha’s forehead. “I’ll be with you when you do, if you want.”

“No.” Harry’s lip curled in a snarl when he thought of Louis and Viktor in the same room for such a conversation. “I do not want him looking at you.”

A giggle bursts from Louis’ lips. “I don’t know if I’m flattered to have such a possessive Alpha.”

“What do you mean?” The cause of Harry’s heartache seemed to be temporarily diverged when he chases after Louis. “Omega!”

Louis observes that the packhouse is empty save for some youngsters in the living room by the television. He whistles to capture their attention before jerking his chin in the direction of the door. “It’s time to go home, pups.”

One of them, Andrew, is the first to protest by stretching out along the couch and curling back up stubbornly. “Can’t we stay here tonight?”

Harry has successfully caused the least gracious racket by jogging down the stairs to find Louis, and all eyes fall to him briefly before he escapes to the kitchen. Louis has the urge to roll his eyes but he turns back to the immovable youth with a sigh instead.

“Fine.” He tugs some blankets out of the hallway closet and takes it to the group of four. “Make a mess in my home and you’re cleaning the entire house. Understood?”

“Yes.” Andrew answers, doubtfully having heard anything as he yawns and shortly falls asleep before Louis can even switch off the lights.

Waiting for him in the otherwise barren kitchen is Harry, leaning broodily against the island with his arms crossed and eyebrows drawn together. Louis stops to brush his thumb over the creases on Harry’s forehead before passing him.

“You frown that much and they’re gonna get stuck like that.” Louis warns teasingly. He opens the refrigerator for milk, then a familiar cabinet for nutmeg and brown sugar.

Harry scoffs disbelievingly. “I am not one of the pups in this pack, little Omega.”

“Oh I know.” Louis steps around Harry’s body in the narrow walkway he is granted. “That’s why I need to take extra care of you.”

For a heartbeat, Harry has nothing to object with so he seals his lips with a swipe of his tongue over them. He’s still looking troubled for an obstacle such as this – being challenged by one thought to be a friend – is not easily forgotten. Louis starts to pour his sleep-inducing concoction into a second mug without instruction.

“Omega.” Harry starts, his uneasiness fading as he surfaces from momentary deep thought. “There are ways to guarantee self-preservation in a challenge.”

Louis slides put the drained saucepan he’d used to warm milk into the sink. He knows exactly where Harry’s train of thought is headed. “I know.”

Usually when a challenge is presented, two wolves will fight until one has its throat ripped out. There can be no survivor, until a few of their ancestors decreed a new rule. Alphas may fight until one _forfeits_ if either Alpha satisfies certain conditions. One or both of the Alphas has a second challenge to fight at a later time or either has mated but not procreated.

“You want to seek a loophole?” Louis will admit to being extremely disappointed, and it must show in his voice for Harry instantly deflates.

There is stifling silence between them until Harry speaks again. “I am sorry, Omega. It was my doubt that drove such an insinuation.”

Louis’ smile is a flicker. “I understand. You’re scared.”

“I am not afraid.” Harry responds before he can think about declaring it, automatically raising his voice when yet another bout of his pride has been threatened. He curses under his breath, in Latin no less.

Louis sets his mug down and goes to his Alpha, feeling the beginnings of fear seep into his heart from his core for the first time. His Alpha is miles of strength and tactic but Viktor has had many, many years to master even more than Harry has. They would both be utterly foolish to not have some dread facing this problem, but Louis hugs Harry as tightly as he can and hopes that the dominant can pick up on his hope as well.

“I have faith in you.” Louis nuzzles the side of Harry’s throat, allowed further access when his mate lifts him off the ground. “You won’t leave me or this pack, I know that.”

*    *    *    *    *

The grief brought on Viktor and his heinous challenge has been assuaged. Harry met with Viktor as a neutral location with a few of his wolves the next day and returned after three hours with the news that their challenge is scheduled for seven nights from today. They will fight in the presence of Harry’s pack and the two packs that Viktor’s already claimed from defeated their Alphas. Both wolves will also be fighting in _water_ , as specially requested by Viktor, so Harry chose the shores of the beach he took Louis to.

“This is absurd.” Louis has been packing around Harry’s study without sign of stopping for half an hour, which thankfully gave Harry something to focus on other than his impending duel. “Viktor is…- He’s gone mad.”

Had Harry felt any less volatile, he might have laughed. “He is of sound mind, little Omega. I assure you.”

“Then we have work to do.” Louis finally gave his legs a rest by planting himself in the forgotten make-shift bed by the window. “Has anyone ever defeated Viktor?”

Harry merely looked at Louis as if his enquiry were silly, the words alone and strung together acting as a poisoned suggestion. “Never.”

“Wait.” Louis stood again and he had Harry’s full attention.

His Omega really was beautiful today, still wearing what he wore to sleep the night before and smelling solely of Harry’s scent. Harry doesn’t hear a thing that Louis says following his outburst because he’s studying the bared planes of tender skin belonging to the Omega’s thighs. The faded and ripped shirt Louis wore was raised incidentally at the hip, tucked into the waistband of the boy’s briefs on accident.

“Are you listening to me?” Louis stops speaking when he realises where Harry’s eyes have been the whole time. He groans in complaint. “I will put pants on if you don’t pay attention.”

Harry’s gaze flickered to Louis’ face, displeased but complying anyway. “My father defeated Viktor’s father twenty years ago when he was challenged. Him being dead now is the same as if he were alive. He would not have helped.”

“You don’t know that.” Louis argues. “You’ve never faced a challenge like this before.”

“It is unheard of for an Alpha to be undefeated even once.” Louis comes around Harry’s desk, privy to how the Alpha straightens his posture for his reception. “I wonder what his secret is.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Harry shakes off the implication. “We do not have the time to investigate a Council member nor is it ethical.”

Louis smiles apologetically and turns to leave, thinking it best if Harry had this time for himself. Alphas cannot be surrounded by others when they are already turning hostile, which means Louis’ surprise is stretched when Harry hauls him back. He finds himself braced on the Alpha’s lap before he can resist, tucked under Harry’s chin where he cannot escape. There’s an irreplaceable feeling that comes from being close to the one that offers nothing but safety and peace, even when turmoil resides in their hearts.

It’s well past dawn when Harry comes to bed finally and Louis is dozing already with half a dozen pillows, his Alpha’s included, cradled around him. He has a complex requirement for when the temperature tilted either way, and Harry has become well acquainted with that.

Louis has had a busy day after leaving Harry’s study; tending to the pups when they demanded a trip to the edge of the territory line and getting meat for Angelica’s cravings. Almost half the pack seemed to want to pick a fight with each other and with Harry reoccupied, Louis had to take care of their debacles himself. It was tiresome and Harry’s Omega had not some to him with a single complaint all day, which made Harry both furious and very proud.

“Omega.” He knew Louis was awake but nothing in the world would get the latter to stir more than a twitchy nose. Harry crawled up the length of Louis’ body, still dripping from his shower and aware of him dampening the sheets. “I have something to show you.”

Louis moaned and rolled onto his front, acting as a child would save for pushing Harry away. “I don’t want to see it.”

Harry chuckled into his mate’s ear, lowering himself to the bed at Louis’ back so he may wrap himself around the Omega. He took advantage of the loose shirt Louis donned to trail his fingers repeatedly along the Omega’s hip, over his thigh and back again. “Tomorrow then.”

*    *    *    *    *

Tomorrow never comes, not in the way Harry wanted. He woke to his wolves running amok outside the packhouse and someone pounding on his door, but his bed was void of Louis. There was going to be Hell to pay for this disturbance up until Harry went to ease the suffering on his door and heard what Daniel had to say. His world stopped spinning when his slumber faded from his senses and every scent in the room became more apparent to him.

“Alpha we cannot find him.” Daniel looked as upturned and dishevelled as any pack brother who’s been through the woods with a fine-toothed comb. “Louis’ gone.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm winging the chapter number thing so far; please bear with me :(


	5. Chapter 5

Harry tore apart the woods in his search for Louis, not surrendering in his pursuit until every acre had been inspected by himself after his hunters. Every step was tainted by misery and heavy-heartedness at the loss of his mate, although the only thing between them was vast distance. He hadn’t meant to but he had ripped through at least seven trees and taken down some of the largest bears in their forest. Daniel followed Harry no matter how fast the Alpha ran or how fiercely he threatened the former dominant; he would be as unyieldingly loyal as he could be at all times.

Louis’ scent died at the territory’s edge no matter where that end was. Whoever took Louis had his scent brushed up against as many convenient places amongst the trees as possible until the pack gates arise and then it just disappears. Harry cannot pick up Louis’ scent for miles after that even as the days peeled onward like his flesh is ripped off, and eventually two nights have passed without progress.

All Harry saw when he came back to the pack are the wolves Louis helped everyday he could. The packhouse holds nothing for him except the bedroom in which Louis slept when they’d mated, separated and reconciled. The room’s sanctity is tainted by his Omega’s absence but Harry cannot find it in himself to retire to any other room in the packhouse. He can’t think of it as home anymore either.

Tearing mates apart is supposed to ruin them like pouring acid through their individual veins. Harry hates that notion, despises the grounds upon which it is based. Being away from Louis to this extent – knowing the Omega will not receive him at the end of the day with a mug of warm milk and nutmeg – felt more like being bathed in the flames on the sun’s surface all day long as long as he’s conscious. There was nothing but anger in Harry, cold and drastic fury that duelled the monster in his wolf and made it seek nothing but blood even in his human form.

“Alpha, you must train.” Daniel came to Harry with a bitter reminder, standing tensely in the doorway but being careful not to enter. The bedroom is the only place Louis’ scent still lingers after two whole days. “The challenge still awaits you.”

Harry was up from his seat by the window and stalking toward Daniel in a heartbeat. He shouldered past the other Alpha like they were strangers and walked away without a word aside from the growl permanently emanating from his chest. Outside, the pack was uneasy and at the sight of their hostile Alpha took a step back as one. Harry is not a threat to the oldest or youngest among them but he is also one who none wanted to be around.

For a minute, Harry stood at the peak of the staircase without saying anything and looking no different than the day Louis was stolen. He winces at the memory; his Omega was _taken from him_ and he had not bothered to entertain the thought of Louis planning to leave him. They were doing so well recovering what could have been obliterated until then.

“Thomas.” Harry’s voice was a booming echo that stretched out across the common grounds without strain. “Elijah. Franklin.”

After stating the three names Harry made it halfway down the stairs before letting his wolf rip through his clothes and land heavily in the dirt. He stood taller than the Alphas who came forth from being called and he looked at each one, gaging whether they were prepared to fight him, before leading them away to the trees.

Tension hung sourly in the air from heart to heart and everything in between. Daniel emerged from the packhouse and found everyone just getting back to their earlier occupations. He glances at the shredded clothes on the ground and curses before letting his own adornments join the pile.

Harry seems to have no sense of familiarity or brethren when he is found fighting the specimens who embody those attributes. Their pack leader is their finest warrior and never has that stood attested to more than now when Daniel bursts through the trees and finds Harry’s wolf in combat with three others. Not any three wolves, but rather brothers from their pack who had the responsibility to train with their Alpha when he asked it. None of them looked happy to be fulfilling their duty this day.

Harry’s wolf is a hulking tower when he’s raised on his hind legs, snapping his jaws at Elijah’s dusty grey throat before grabbing the flesh and flinging the latter wolf against a tree. The structure cracks thunderously across the centre of its core and with any more force it may have fallen entirely. With Elijah down, Harry whips around and sinks his teeth into Franklin’s front paw until a sickening crunch echoed through the clearing.

To convene with it in the air were the snarls and growls of threatened beasts along with their pursuer. Harry’s muzzle was a step below caked with blood belonging to his brothers, his teeth stained crimson and sharpened by the motive of battle. No forfeit would be granted with such a ghost of horror cast over Harry’s usual silver orbs, and the Alpha was possessed by a monstrosity more violent and cunning than seen before.

Daniel deemed the boundaries to be breeched when Harry stood over Thomas’ surrendered form, snapping a bark at the two wolves that tread closer in aid of their brother. He threw himself forward without an ounce of hesitation and knocked Harry onto his side so Thomas has the chance to rise. Harry has flawless reflexes that do not fail him when he turns his upper half with a painful twist, and bites Daniel’s ear to use as leverage before dragging the smaller wolf over his shoulder.

His strength is too great to execute the defence without causing severe damage, and Harry finds himself feeling no regret when the flesh tears under his molars. Daniel’s wolf howls from the excruciating ripping of his skin to unleash a flow of maroon down the side of his face. Harry spits and he doesn’t care that a part of his companion’s wolf goes with the excess blood to the muddy earth.

It’s a deafening minute silence among their panting beasts until Harry decides to retire them from the day’s destruction. The Alpha is none of the leader he was with Louis around, and it is painfully evident. Harry raises his head from its bow and beckons Daniel’s injured wolf forward with a callous grunt, readying himself to offer slight comfort. He licks the gaping wound on Daniel’s head where his ear used to rest, stopping when the blood ceases to waste.

His dismissal of them is much less fervent. Harry just barely makes a huff before taking off through an indistinguishable path again, leaving them behind.

He ran until his legs ached like they were an inch before collapsing beneath him, just to growl and push further. There was no stopping until Harry heard the water crashing into rock and embracing the stone shoreline. His wolf cleared the treeline with no grace, kicking dirt and pebbles with bloody paws aside as he came to an abrupt halt in front of the gentle waves. Sea salt could be tasted in the air when Harry tilted his head back, listening to the lack of civilisation and absent tainting of nature by others.

Harry didn’t feel it when a tear escaped the rim of his eye, falling to the ground beside his feet with a far more resonating plummet than any tide.

*    *    *    *    *

Searching for the pack’s lost Omega has not come to a halt, and Harry refuses to allow anyone but Daniel assist him in the hunt. They’ve been through the woods a dozen times trying to pick up Louis’ scent beyond the territory line but if the finest among them cannot detect it, then it does not exist. Harry could not venture outside their land to the East because of a neighbouring pack being so close to them that it would derive a violation of truce.

Daniel hasn’t brought up the fact that Harry caused an eternal deformation on him by blindly ripping off his ear, and the Alpha has not apologised. The assaulted wolf plans to grow his hair out so the missing feature can be masked, but his plans are ruined when Harry finally speaks without rage to him in the Alpha’s study.

“After we find Louis you may be released.” Harry is leaning over his fireplace only half dressed and staring at the flames so intently he might be their sole source of fuel.

This news leaves Daniel dumbfounded. “Have I done something, Alpha?”

“No, but I have.” Harry gives his companion the dignity in conversation he deserves by turning around. It is apparent to all but him how fatigued he’s become over three nights with grief he cannot tame. “I cannot face you every day knowing your injury is my doing.”

“With all due respect, Alpha-”

“My word is final.” Harry snaps harshly. “You have been loyal and a favourite of Louis’. I will see to it that your new pack is worthy of your entry.”

They both know that Louis will fight tooth and nail before letting Harry banish any member of their pack, as he’s proven before. Without doubt they’re both also relying deeply on the fact that the Omega will return and do exactly that.

Harry trains alone to avoid any more tragedies. He hunts larger and more ghastly creatures each day, venturing further and further away from the common pack ground with every hour. Recklessness is not something Harry is familiar with and he does not let it become a part of his strategy now. With Louis gone – _missing –_ he has no reservations about getting his wolf as bloody as possible while keeping his own skin unmarred from any attack.

There was nothing dignified about the way Harry hunted, not in the evolved times that modern wolves lived in anyway. It belonged at the birth of the wolf, when savagery and torment were the order of the day. Turning every creature but himself into prey made Harry a monster, not a rightful predator, and he knew even as he butchered undeserving wildlife that his mate would not be proud of him.

*    *    *    *    *

Louis’ scent is almost entirely drained from their sheets on the fourth day. Harry has emptied the untended laundry hamper seeking his absent Omega’s signature vanilla-citrus twist, but tossing the clothing articles onto their bed has made them lose their traces too. He can imagine what Louis would say when the boy returns – which Harry fully intends to make happen – and discovers the mess Harry’s made of their room.

The Alpha has been to the neighbouring pack so that he may be granted permission to travel through their territory, but has been turned down for two days straight. The leading Alpha, a female whose bloodline is fairly new to this district, was reluctant about letting a fellow dominant several times as powerful as her move through her territory without revealing his honest purpose.

“I assure you that I intend your wolves no harm.” Harry was losing his patience at a phenomenal rate whilst seated in the office of this younger Alpha, Anna.

Anna was too naïve to understand the need of one such dominant who has suffered a loss, and she still relied on her verbalisation as the only means of communication. Harry’s forefathers would spit at her feet for being such an incapable leader who showed no indication of a desire to improve. Her lengthy inflamed hair and nearly identical shade of irises were symbolic of her lineage, but that would not be enough to secure her reign if she held no ascertainable skill.

“Then you would have no problem sharing your intentions.” Anna stood from behind her desk and stalked around the grand structure to lean against it directly in front of Harry.

Her guest was visibly infuriated by the looks of his burning gaze and page white knuckles. “I do have a problem.”

“I have the right to deny you, Alpha Styles.” Anna had an unsettling twinkle in her eye, one that hinted at an unspeakable prospect. She looked at Harry with mindboggling suggestiveness that disgusted the latter Alpha, and he made no effort in trying to keep it from being expressed on his face.

Whatever kept Anna from being at least a subpar leader in Harry’s eyes also withheld the information that he is a Council member from her. He rose fluidly to his feet with every semblance of passive manners gone.

“Thank you for your time.” Harry surprised himself with how civil he sounded despite the festering repulsion.

“Perhaps we can-”

“We cannot.” Harry sneered, shutting down any ideologies she may have allowed to harbour. He felt less reserved to witness her outrage at being cut off rather than respectfully apologising to him, as a higher member of society. “Try not to disgrace our kind any further, Alpha Anna. Goodbye.”

With no way to move forward through this insufferable woman’s land, Harry returns to his own territory wearing a frown so deep it makes every wandering wolf steer clear of him. He hunts until the moon hands with as heavy a heart as he in the sky, greeting Harry’s wolf with sympathies which he returns with a dying howl. All the meat he gathers is dragged back to the pack and left beside their bonfire for an impromptu feast that he will not be a part of.

The night hour seems to pity Harry for his sleep renders the sweetest dream. He stops feeling the stiffness of a poorly postured back from sleeping on the hardwood floor in his unshowered stated, and closes his eyes to the creaking ceiling.

“Hey.”

Harry cannot deem the line between reality and imagination as known to him. He feels the finger poking his arm and prodding at the vein protrusion in his neck, but it could be that madness finally took him over.

“You can’t ignore me forever.” The voice is so gentle although it pierces Harry’s heart all the same and causes the wind to gush forth from his lungs in a strangled groan. “Wake up, Alpha.”

“I do not want to.” Harry squeezes his eyelids shut even tighter when the illusion of warm breath fans over his cheek. “You will leave if I do.”

A soft giggle fills the air at Harry’s ear and frail arms find their way around the man’s shoulders. It’s the weight of someone delicate cradled against his chest in a mockery of his longing that leaves Harry paralysed with hurt.

“Sorry to break it to you, Alpha.” Louis’ voice is a lie but it feels so _existent_ that Harry has to turn toward it. “I have to leave whether you look at me or not.”

“No.” Harry reacts then. He rolls onto his side where he might cage this tender presence against him, but there is nothing to feel. “No!”

Louis’ body is against him for Harry can sense the Omega’s arms at his chest and knees tucked inward the way he liked to curl up like a pup. The Gods were taunting him by not allowing him even the false reality of holding someone, for besides Louis’ scent and sound there was nothing to grasp. His Omega is without him; it was a bitter truth but honest nonetheless.

“Hush now.” The disembodied reminder of Harry’s mate was soothing his stuttering heart. A hand stroked his jaw. “You always shave, why not anymore?”

“Where are you, Omega?” Harry gritted, feeling the ache in the muscle beneath Louis’ phantom touch. “Where have you gone and left my mind to rot here?”

“I have gone nowhere.” Louis continued his careful ministrations, daring even to leave a kiss on Harry’s cheek where it will linger. “Have you prepared for your challenge?”

“I do not care for Viktor’s challenge.” Harry swore, clenching his empty fists that mirrored his entire being. After days of feeling nothing from his Bond with Louis, something flared in his slumber and realisation dawned. “ _Viktor._ He has you, doesn’t he? He took you from me.”

“Hush.” Louis’ empty silhouette cradled the Alpha’s face in his hands. “Prepare for your challenge, Alpha. You must do this for me.”

*    *    *    *    *

As Viktor had no knowledge of Harry’s suspicion, an arrangement for them to meet on no man’s land was fairly simple. Except, the rendering of a common ground between both Alphas two days before the same two wolves are meant to duel was not of the ordinary. Viktor has not survived as many years as he did without playing the great game of this life two steps ahead of everyone else. He came to the meadow of Harry’s choosing without more than his Beta in charge, but the air about him was hostile and darkened with treachery.

Viktor is a proud specimen of his bloodline, standing at nearly seven feet while Harry was a few inches shorter. In the foe Alpha’s family the hair of all dominant members was silver, borderline white under the stars, and had skin just as pale. Harry entered the clearing as a man whose presence was a tempest, and the anguish of such turmoil riddled his veins with poison. He has never felt threatened by Viktor in any aspect of their politics but today he harvests all the hatred he can to face the conniving wolf.

“Give him back.” Harry walked up to Viktor without an ounce of hesitance and snarled in the other Alpha’s face.

“Who?” The confusion on Viktor’s face was debatable; he went so far as to blink innocently and act concerned.

Harry can’t remember a time he’s felt more like ripping out a man’s throat. “We are not pups and I do not play games. Where is _my Omega,_ Viktor?!”

“Harry, son.” Viktor offered up nothing but an unflattering sigh of condescension. “Do you know how incapable it makes you look to not know where your mate is?”

“How many mates have you had, Viktor?” Harry asked whilst knowing the answer to his own question.

A flicker of surprise passed through Viktor’s eyes of a bland grey shade. “Redundancy does not become you, Alpha Styles.”

“Answer the question!” Harry roared, far too close to the edge to be careful now. Had Daniel not grabbed his arm he might have triggered violence too soon.

“Three.” Viktor hollows his cheeks with an empty breath. “I have had three mates in forty-seven years.”

Harry shook off Daniel’s hand from his elbow. “And how many of them would you have died for?”

“None.” Viktor growls inhospitably, but something in that fury falters and he has to look away for something not to be seen in his expression. “The first. I would have died and slaughtered for my first Bonded mate.”

Grasping this leverage with both hands, Harry all but gets on his knees when he lowers himself in dignity for this plea. It burns in his eyes and exudes from his heart, turning his voice into a depthless rasp. “Give me back my Omega. There might be humiliation in not knowing where he is, but it is an unforgivable _disgrace_ to take another Alpha’s mate.”

“If I may speak now.” Viktor pursed his lips in a twisted scowl; Harry’s aggression was not appreciated from a younger Alpha who insulted one older and wiser than he. “How many years have you known me?”

Harry answered robotically. “Two and a half decades.”

“A sufficient time to know all there is to learn about me.” There was nothing but a void in Viktor’s gaze in response to that; he expressed no emotion outwardly that would indicate he felt remorse or surrender. He was the same as he’s always been when conversing with another, placating and humble. “I do _not_ have your Omega, Alpha Styles.”

That’s not good enough for Harry. Not after sleepless nights alongside a vacant space in his bed where his Omega used to lay and hours spent stewing in the worst kind of agony when the realisation dawned that Harry had no one to come home to at night. Every bit of violence and interrogation that soured his attitude since Louis’ kidnapping came to the brim of a blinding finale.

Harry felt nudged in the most absolute manner by the wolf who would lay dormant no longer, and soon the Alpha’s inner beast decided to take action. Rather than abrupt crash to the surface of his being, Harry felt his wolf gliding into a perfect suit against his skin by pushing aside all reservations and hindrances. Daniel was not quick enough to stop his pack Alpha from lunging at Viktor but he was not foolish enough to allow Viktor’s Beta any chance to defend himself either.

The entire pack feels it like a shadowy curtain cast over them for a mere heartbeat, grasping their hearts where a fondness lies for their pack Alpha and squeezes. A challenge duel annihilates all prior status and power of both fighting Alphas so that they battle as equals in cracking bones and shredded flesh. There will emerge just one wolf to claim all that the deceased Alpha has lost, and for once since being challenged Harry felt unwilling to consider loss.

Both packs of Viktor’s and one of Harry’s came to a standstill when the unease blossomed in them all; the fight is two days too soon and nobody could imagine why. With bated breath and pounding hearts, they waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MORE CHAPTER. I WILL NOT FALL FOR YOUR TRICKERY ANYMORE. ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER.


	6. VI

**Six Months Ago.**

The pack had gathered at the river outside their territory after their largest hunt of the year. Harry encouraged their wolves to hunt together at least once every twelve months to reinforce their unity as a pack before settling in for the night alongside their closest river. It was not a custom Louis’ seen before but was eager to participate, until he heard Harry order him to remain at his side and no other’s. The Alpha let every wolf he protected leave the pack territory before escorting Louis as well past the gate.

Harry had the decency to not oppose Louis when the Omega asked to hunt for himself and after an hour’s separation, found his mate under the cover of the trees with matted fur and a slouched posture. Louis hadn’t been able to hunt anything successfully because their wolves had frightened most of the worthy prey and he refused to use excessive violence to capture something. He was grateful when Harry’s wolf came to lie beside him in the dirt without condescension, and nudged the Omega into trying again.

As a hunter, it was discouraging when Louis could not feed himself and he simply denied any offering Harry made from his own kills. Such rejection was not appreciated but Harry bottled up his anger to allow his mate the freedom of failing or succeeding on his own.

Rather than merely falling asleep surrounded by the extraordinary wilderness and those Alphas who would remain awake to guard them, the pack decided to indulge in friendly combat. Wolves sat on opposite sides of the flowing river and any could challenge another to fight in the water under the moonlight until one forfeited.

Harry sat closest to the water in wait for Louis to return before allowing the first duel to commence with a howling tribute to the moon. When Louis finally appeared from the cluster of trees at Harry’s back, raised his head off the ground to call the Omega. The Alpha watched his wolves fight with pride swelling in his chest but nothing so fairly compared to Louis’ act of curling his body against the dominant’s side and resting his head on Harry’s back. Louis fell asleep that way, wrapped up in the curve of Harry’s body with his mate’s tail draped over him protectively.

The unorthodox ceremony the pack conducted at the river’s edge was all the hype for many days; many unrecognised Alphas and Betas had proven their worth where Harry might reward them. Due to their noteworthy efforts, Harry obliged in designing a new outline for a younger troop of hunters or assigned guards.

“What do you think, Omega?” Harry had called Louis to his study where he might run the idea over with his mate.

Louis was always awkward when placed alone in the Alpha’s company. He could not look Harry in the eye where the man sat twirling a pen at his desk. “I think many of them would be honoured.”

“I agree.” Harry hoped to coax more of an opinion from the submissive. “Is that all?”

“What’s the youngest wolf’s age?” Louis asked, channelling the inner Omega he possessed who had much ado with the duties of this pack.

“Sixteen.” Was the gruff response he received.

This was a relief for Louis would not put it past his mate to recruit wolves too soon in their years. “Then I have no objection.”

Harry could see it in Louis’ eye that the Omega had more to say. “I believe you do not object but I’d like to hear everything you’re thinking.”

Louis hesitates but Harry’s stare in unyielding and he has no way of leaving this room without the Alpha’s permission, so he acquiesces. He comes nearer and takes a seat across from Harry, fighting the urge to cross his legs. “Did you see Daniel’s brother in his challenge?”

“Yes.” Harry drops the pen to steeple his fingers at his chin, his concentration rendering a steady frown as he leans forward.

“Well, he’s only fifteen.” Louis points out justly. “On the other hand, Mark is seventeen and lost his fight in less than two minutes.”

Harry felt smugness beginning to curl his lip. “You’re saying that I should consider wolves on their abilities solely?”

“Not exactly.” Louis didn’t have to ask to have the list of wolves Harry held in his hands. He skimmed the familiar names for a second before continuing with his point. “Maybe have a training program as well so every capable wolf gets a fair chance. Age should not be the deciding factor.”

“A training program for wolves that are old enough but not capable of representing this pack.” Harry verbally ponders over the suggestion, his gaze unwavering from Louis’ face. “Thank you, Omega. You have given me something to consider.”

“You’re welcome.” Louis swallows his earlier anxiety and stands to leave. He hadn’t noticed his own smile until Harry chuckled in response to it.

A day later Harry announced to individual wolves who would be allowed into the training regime as well as those older wolves that have to teach them. Louis was secretly pleased with hearing that the Alpha gave him credit for the new regulation when it was announced to the pack as a whole. Daniel’s brother, Abraham, was an exceptional fighter and he was placed on probation in their protection detail with his brother to look out for him. The grandest surprise came at the conclusion when Harry said he would be one of the instructors heading the training group of youth.

“You appeared to have been expecting my cooperation in your idea the least.” Harry commented when they were much later into the night and Louis was already tucked into his half of the bed.

“I was.” The Omega avoids shrugging; it is a motion that is frowned upon for an Omega in power. “Can I ask why you decided to do that?”

The Alpha never slept using any of the sheets they’re supposed to share so he had no quarrel with granting his mate the fortune of winding himself into them until he was immobile. “My wolves have neither trained nor learned to accomplish something as a group before. I would like to be there so nothing gets out of hand.”

“Seems fair.” Louis agreed. “Goodnight.”

Harry never bid him goodnight and Louis never bothered to ask why, but they’ve both come to live with one another’s quirks. “Tomorrow I must go to the Council’s chamber. There is talk of a new Law that they desire my input for.”

“Okay. How long will you be gone for?” Louis asks in the midst of his impending slumber. His eyes were already closed, his fingers loosening from fists.

“A few days at most.” Harry would be leaving Louis for the first time since their mating but he can procrastinate no longer. “The pack knows to obey you in my absence.”

“Alright.” The Omega always became a little brave when he was crabby with exhaustion. “I hope they obey you too in my absence.”

*    *    *    *    *

**Present.**

Blood is the nature of many in their upbringing and to others it is revolting, the essence of what a soul should avoid in order to be righteous. There are few who see the sliver of a boundary between those ideologies and seek the perfect twist in both to achieve their goals.

Harry is not one to keep away from inflicting pain if it means otherwise obtaining what he desired with a greater need than imaginable. He was matted with the crimson fluid as though it did not belong to a breathing creature moments ago, wearing the splatters and severe injuries as a crown rather than burden. Daniel, his second best companion, was always in Harry’s favour for being so loyal but today he showed signs of hesitance.

His pack Alpha was a man and heart possessed by ravenous ferocity that he could find it in himself to be enthusiastic about. Harry has never expressed this side of himself except in these past two days and yet there seemed to be a finale no eye deserved to witness.

Viktor died a death no leader should under the torture of another Alpha, but his felony overshadowed any present guilt. His corpse had withered to his human form – the state he’d entered this world in – and turned blue with the absence of a life breathed into it, eyes staring emptily up at the clouds. It would rain no longer on his eyelids and the smell of crushed grass would no longer be familiar to his senses.

Harry left Viktor’s body to lay where it had fallen, bleeding and crippled by many a crushed bone. He changed back to his human form so he could speak the words that might threaten Viktor’s Beta wolf.

Daniel was shaken from his idle thoughts when Harry stopped to grab him by his neck and place a respectful kiss to the other Alpha’s forehead. He was thanking the man for standing at his side through what was not easy to stomach.

Viktor’s Beta was almost as tall as Harry and just as uncompromisingly stubborn. When Harry seized the man by his throat and shoved him to his knees, he made sure it was in the direction of the defeated Alpha.

He spoke with nothing but electric command and dignity. “Tell me where my Louis is and you won’t have the same fate.”

The Beta said nothing but Daniel had steeled himself with the truth of today’s proceedings. Their world has always fed bloodshed with more destruction and their pack leaders are the ones to face it in the name of their homes. Seeing this beast surface, the one that Harry hides to safeguard and appease his pack, fills Daniel with an unknown amount of guilt-ridden gratitude.

“You would kill my Alpha with so little regard for his humanity.” The audacious Beta bites back. “I know better than to trust your word.”

Harry might have had the devil’s wrath in his veins for that moment when he took hold of the Beta’s shoulders and _squeezed_ until bone cracked under the pressure of his strength. He held the man up in his kneel when he threatened to crumble, growling to suppress the Beta’s howl of agony.

“It no longer concerns me why your pack leader took my Omega.” Harry states emptily, heart throbbing with the thought of still not having Louis. “I just want to have him back.”

“My Alpha was a noble man and a loyal wolf, even to you.” The Beta panted, spitting red onto the ground. “You have brought yourself nothing but shame by murdering him.”

Daniel took hold of the Beta’s shoulders when Harry could no longer bear physical contact with the aggravating man.

“He _took_ my mate!” Harry roared, clenching his fists to keep from acting too rashly. His chest heaved and his head pounded with impatience. “He was a coward and that is a coward’s death.”

“Your Omega was not a coward.” The Beta had seemingly lost his means of sanity, and looked Harry in the eye with arrogance. “He fought against us until the end.”

“Daniel, return to the pack and bring more wolves.” Harry hauled the ghastly man off his knees with a hand around his throat, nails digging into the muscular flesh until blood filled beneath them. _“Where is he?”_

The Beta stared right back at Harry without an ounce of fear or concern for his own life. “Which part of him?”

Harry couldn’t recall the moment his decision became final and he ripped apart the skin in his hands with all the force he could muster. He could sense his wolves getting closer from their territory and he felt nothing but dread sewn into the arch of every bone, buried in the depth of every thought. His mind has deteriorated at an astonishing rate and stepping over the beheaded Beta’s carcass held no satisfaction.

By the time his wolves could catch up, he’d already taken off tracing Viktor’s scent through the trees to where he prayed Louis would be. It was not acceptable to forfeit his hope like this and would chase his Omega until the evidence of loss faced him.

*    *    *    *    *

**Five Months Ago.**

“Baby?”

Louis dropped the bowl of fruit he was moving from the counter back to the kitchen island in conclusion to his clean-up. He stared wide-eyed and dumbly at his Alpha in the doorway from the foyer. “W-What?”

Harry was leaning against the doorframe with his ankles crossed and wearing his signature pleased smirk. He kicked off the wall to enter the kitchen where Louis is slowly recovering from his unexpected endearment. “I was informed that _petnames_ are a favourite among Omegas.”

“Who told you that?” Louis pried his gaze away from Harry’s attention, and began picking up the fruit he’d dropped.

He did not expect aid from Harry because he didn’t receive any in the past when the occasion which called for it was unnecessary. Louis sucked in a sharp breath when he saw Harry’s tattooed hand reaching for the rolling oranges and toppled bananas.

“Another Alpha on the Council.” The man answered after painfully silent seconds. He stood to his full height an inch from Louis when the Omega got to his feet again. Harry seemed to be in a particularly strange mood with his smug expression and hooded gaze. “He seems to have been correct.”

Louis turned away from his mate as soon as he could, setting the fruit bowl down and moving to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. “I um- You don’t have to do that for me.”

“I know it is not a conventional requirement of an Alpha mate.” Harry followed Louis to the fridge, revelling in the soft gasp he manages to elicit from the Omega by reaching around him for an apple that didn’t reach the floor.

Louis narrowly avoided displaying his surprise when he slid out from the captive space Harry held him in, clutching the counter with white knuckles. He was being watched intently and it burned remarkably where Harry’s eyes fell on him, even if Louis worked studiously to look elsewhere. Harry could sense that Louis was not going to answer him again without provocation so he took the circumstances a step further.

“I would be happy to comply.” Harry said as Louis made a start for the only exit. “You need only say yes.”

Something nagged Louis at the back of his conscience; it warned of the Alpha’s mockery and plan to taunt him if he consented. He was not all that eager to agree because Harry might be thoughtlessly experimenting in something he’ll forget about tomorrow. The Alpha has never humiliated Louis in the past, but it never hurt to be cautious.

“The other Alpha was kind but there is no need for petnames.” Louis rushed to say, his breath leaving him in one audible exhale.

Harry wore a jacket over a bare upper body, and he began to unbutton the front as he trailed after Louis to the staircase with an apple in hand still. “If you would not object then I’d like to have one for you. A petname.”

“Why?” Louis could not contain his curiosity long enough to escape to the bedroom where he can hide forever under the covers.

“I would not have brought home the suggestion if I failed to see value in it.” Harry explained as they stood outside their shared bedroom, his jacket now slung over his arm. His eyes were a soft mossy green, and harmless. “You are not merely another Omega in this pack, and deserve something to set you apart.”

Louis was grateful for the lack of light in the corridor where his flushed cheeks and wavering resolve might be caught. He thought having _Harry_ might be enough to set him apart. “Okay. Th-Thank you.”

“Alright.” Harry was pleased too, by the sound of an approving grunt emanating from his throat. “Goodnight, little Omega.”

*    *    *    *    *

**Present.**

The camp Viktor had temporarily set up was alight with new, estranged scents that Harry had to fight to ignore. He raised his head high and sniffed, oblivious to the screams and racing feet of those whose land he’d invaded. His wolves fanned out across the small field to prevent anyone leaving as Harry stalked through the grand tents, on the prowl for that one scent he craved.

Whilst walking Harry could only pray. He never believed a deity could help him be a leader or _man,_ even, but today he swore allegiance to one such God who showed him mercy. For all the cruelty and misdeeds he’s put out into the universe, he begged for an allowance just this once. Loss must strike him in gold or power, but Harry cannot fathom beginning to cope without Louis at his side.

Somebody above must have heard Harry’s pleas because he needed only search for a few minutes before it reached him. Louis’ scent. He felt it in the air and it wrapped around him like a warm embrace, threaded through his chest cavity and caused their Bond to flare like a spontaneous explosion. Harry threw his head back and howled, bringing one of his nearest wolves closer to stand at the entrance of the tent he ripped into.

Inside was barely enough space for Harry to stand in his human form without hunching forward, and there was just one occupant crouched in the corner beside bags of sand. Harry felt every bit of strength leave him in that moment when his eyes fell on Louis, his darling mate who was blindfolded and gagged in a filthy part of the ground. He stumbled forward, slipping out of his wolf form like a worn suit and fell to the ground closest to Louis.

Louis screamed against the cloth in his mouth and squirmed at the end of his fight, scrambling away from the Alpha who grabbed his ankle. He fell silent the second Harry’s scent hit him and Louis made a high-pitched whine of calling, weeping through his restraints as they were unbound from him. Harry pulled Louis against him before yanking the cloth away from his Omega’s eyes and mouth, breathing in the scent he’d dreaded losing and kissing Louis’ skin where it was bare.

Relief is a drug to him and Harry can attest to never feeling anything so pleasurable. He curled his body around Louis’, rocking his Omega gently as the reality of being reunited settled in both their hearts.

They would have spoken had they felt words were needed, but the connection of their bodies and repair of their strained Bond was enough. Louis clung to Harry like the Alpha would be his medium of breathing, and sobbed into the man’s shoulder out of pure joy. Security flooded him after days without, and Louis didn’t think he’d be letting go of his Alpha anytime soon.

Harry cradled the back of Louis’ skull with his hand, squeezing his eyes shut as he pressed his lips to random spots on the boy’s face. He ignored the dampness beneath his own burning eyes to wipe away Louis’ tears, smiling shakily when the Omega’s pulse was soothed like his worry. Louis caught the single tear Harry shed with the tip of his finger, gazing adoringly at his Alpha who had not given up on him. He kissed Harry’s cheek and threw himself at the dominant, wrapping his limbs around the man to savour the feel of their bodies against each other.

*    *    *    *    *

Louis has been home for two days and has not left the confines of his bedroom under Harry’s instruction; his Alpha disallowed anyone to visit Louis or even bother with coming to the second floor. He was not going to allow any wolf near Louis until his Omega has fully recuperated and _he_ will be the one who deems such an occasion.

Every wolf in their pack had come to the gates when it was discovered that Louis was recovered from the traitor Viktor’s camp miles away. Harry carried his unconscious mate the entire way and let his wolves guard them against the enthusiasm of the pack, all of whom wanted to touch Louis’ limp form or greet him in acknowledgement of his return. Until the packhouse steps he had allowed their ministrations but beyond into the confines of his home he was strict about minimal contact with Louis.

Sleep was all Louis managed to accomplish in the forty-eight hours that he’d been home, other than to eat the food Harry fed him by hand or bathe with his Alpha being stubborn about leaving the room. As expected, Louis was dumbstruck to wake up in his bedroom and find that none of it looked as he remembered. Their bed was barren save for the mattress and Harry’s own pillows, but it is clear that the Alpha spent many of his lonesome nights on the cold hardwood floor with everything else.

“Sit.” Harry ordered after placing Louis on the couch furthest from the window; he was taking no chances. “I will prepare the bed.”

Louis had been home a few hours that day and was the very defining embodiment of exhausted, so he did not argue. He barely noticed that he was still dressed in just a towel when he nodded off on the sofa, listening to Harry rush about trying to reorganise the chaos. Rather than unkindly waking the boy, Harry dressed Louis with as much respect for the Omega’s chastity as he could muster, and crawled into bed next to his mate.

Visitors were forbidden from the second floor of the packhouse and Harry went so far as to lock the bedroom door whether he was present or not. Duties of being pack Alpha never receded so Harry had nonverbally incited Daniel’s aid to handle all that he would be neglecting for the next few days. Louis is his sole priority.

Word reached Louis’ family that the Omega they’d mated off and they’d come to Harry’s territory asking to see the boy, going so far as to plead. Louis’ father was insistent about earning the chance to see his son after such a traumatic event, but Harry refused to offer sympathy. They may return freely after Louis has been home for a significant amount of time but no sooner.

By the third day of Louis’ return Harry could see the boy he’d lost again. The Omega’s features were fuller, his skin rosy pink like he was permanently in a state of blushing and he could stretch without a moan of irritation. Harry was infinitely proud to behold a submissive so capable and healthy in mind and heart, there was nothing to do but praise Louis at every chance he got.

“I can bathe myself now, Alpha.” Louis’ speech was as blissfully sweet as Harry remembers, but it was not enough to remove him from the bathroom. His Omega batted his lashes and Harry turned away. “Please.”

“No.” Harry answered gruffly, folding his arms across his chest. “You are not to be where I cannot protect you from this day onwards.”

Louis came to lean against the bathroom counter next to his smouldering dominant, not ashamed to admit that the man’s scent and presence is in itself a major source of reassurance. He hated to reminisce about the day he was taken from his home where he’s always been the safest, except he’d become complacent and unguarded that day. All the other wolves were asleep or not as vigilant in their posts – a liability that has been straightened out – when Louis went to warm some milk and followed his curiosity when he heard a noise outside.

“Harry?” What drew the Alpha back into finding Louis with his gaze was the odd strangle in the boy’s words. He found Louis wiping his eyes free of the tears and acted on instinct to embrace his mate, holding on with all his might. “I-I never thanked you.”

“You must not. Ever.” Harry kissed the top of Louis’ head and ran his knuckles over the boy’s spine delicately. “It is my privilege to have you as my mate and every responsibility I owe to you is my honour. I missed you, Omega. It should have been impossible to long for you so earnestly.”

Louis sniffed in not the most gracious manner and smiled when Harry held his head back, tracing his cheek and jaw with his fingertips. “Don’t leave, this room or anywhere else I am. I never want to be separated from you again.”

“Never, little Omega.” Harry lowered his arms to band firmly around Louis’ hips, burying his face in the Omega’s neck where he can relish in the boy’s presence right here where he can vouch for it. “I promise to protect you with my life, you’ll never have to experience fear again.”

There should be something awkward about bathing in somebody’s company with no intention of being lascivious, but it was not applicable then. Louis never indulged in bubble baths because it was wasteful but he had to admit there’s a certain kindred contentment from being able to play with clusters of foam like a child all over again. His mate is uncannily patient whilst Louis cleans himself, offering nothing but his unrelenting focus throughout the process.

“Let me help you, Omega.” Harry had kept Louis’ towel so that his mate might actually beckon him for a purpose. He unfolds the thick towel that he’d been hugging to his chest unknowingly, holding it up when Louis stands in the tub.

Louis finds it in him to giggle, grasping the corners of the only cloth guarding his chastity and tucking it into a secure knot. “Thank you.”

Harry cleared his throat and answers the sentiment with a jerky nod. His aim was to get Louis into bed before the Omega yawned and he was fully prepared for the little squeak that left his mate when he scooped the boy out of the water.

“I would’ve walked just fine.” Louis jested, nonetheless craning his neck to kiss Harry’s cheek. “But thank you.”

Louis’ nightmares were terribly unanticipated. They were without incident or mention of the Omega’s most horrific experience for three nights, until Harry finds himself being awoken by Louis’ restrained squirming. His mate was bundled up in the sheets as per his preference and Harry would glad to indulge him when the new arrangement was akin to a nest. Louis never felt safe or comfortable enough to nest before, purposely or absentmindedly, but it was remarkably unprecedented now.

“Louis?” The Alpha sat up to secure his mate against his rash movements.

Louis was simpering and whining in his disturbed slumber, kicking against his insulating covers in a fervent struggle to get free. Whatever plagued his dreams was terribly inconsiderate to Louis’ sanity and ripped apart the peacefulness so the Omega was helpless against it. Harry could listen to his mate suffering no more and pried the sheets off Louis’ sweaty, writhing form to toss aside in discard. Louis instantly recoiled when Harry grabbed his arm, mumbling nonsense under his breath in rejection of what he imagined to be someone who means him harm.

“Easy, Omega. It’s only me.” Harry dragged his resilient mate onto his lap in the centre of the mattress and waited for calm to grace him. “Nothing will ever get to you. I promised you that.”

He stripped off Louis’ shirt by simply tearing it across the middle, and used the ruined fabric to wipe what moisture blossomed on the Omega’s flushed skin. Louis began to recognise Harry’s scent and presence then, falling limp against his Alpha’s chest when the security of his situation dawned on him. Harry kissed the back of Louis’ neck and petted his feverish exterior in soothing strokes.

Louis was awake, his sleep shattered by his mind’s callous recollection. He yawned miserably against Harry’s chest with absolutely no motivation to fall asleep again. “Alpha?”

“I am here.” Harry oathed, brushing Louis’ hair into some semblance of order. He assisted when Louis decided to stealthily climb onto his lap, winding his limbs around the dominant. “Are you better now? You are safe, little Omega. Safe with me.”

“Yeah. I’m okay.” Louis is breathless when he allows Harry’s arms to slip under his thighs and lift him into a more fastened position against him. “Can you help me stay awake please?”

Harry was hesitant about that request; he wanted his Omega to get as much sleep as possible. “Are you sure?”

“Please.” Louis was under no influence of drowsiness when he turned his face into Harry’s neck, aware of his partial nudity and harboured no objection.

“Alright, little Omega.” Harry sniffed. He racked his brain for something to entertain Louis with, emitting a soft sigh at his result. “Let me take you downstairs to the kitchen.”

“Why?” Louis shuffled off Harry’s lap to sit back on his haunches.

His Alpha disappeared into their closet on a mission to find Louis a fresh shirt. He answers the Omega’s question only after re-emerging from the shadowed room whilst unfolding one of his own sweaters. “I am going to cook for you.”

“What?” Louis’ marginal shock is sufficient in smothering his earlier dread; he grumbles huffily when Harry merely drapes the deep grey cable-knit sweater over his head. “You cook?”

“I do.” Harry dresses Louis like the latter is a pup and takes his hand to help the Omega off the bed.

Louis could not be blamed for his stunned expression as they left their bedroom and Harry led him downstairs to the kitchen. No other wolf was in the packhouse tonight, which is probably what the Alpha scented and helped him discern whether it was safe to leave the sanctity of their room. No sound resonated except from their footsteps manoeuvring through the house, the wood floors creaking under Harry’s weight and not at all when Louis follows suit.

“Who taught you to cook?” Louis barely flinched when Harry gripped him by his hips and hoisted him onto the counter beside the microwave.

Harry leaves Louis swinging his legs in plain sight so he can gather the adequate ingredients for pancakes. “My mother.”

The Alpha’s mother was indeed a wonderful person to be in the company of, except when she had to fulfil her duties as pack Omega which is when she tended to be a tad mechanical. Louis had noticed that about her in his first few days in his new home, and he never plucked up the courage to ask why. She had lived a longer life than he and seen more of this world with Harry’s father at her side than Louis has, so her reason for accomplishing what was required of her with a grudging attitude must have been valid.

Harry seemed filled with the splendid capabilities of another soul in which the culinary arts were a passion. He laid out the essentials on the counter a short distance from Louis before turning on the stove with a greased pan placed atop the open flame. “You are thinking about her.”

“Yeah.” Louis answered a little sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”

“She did not want to be forgotten.” Harry states in the process of dumping an undetermined amount of flour into his mixing bowl. It made Louis anxious to witness such consistent estimation.

“Does anyone?” The Omega bites his lip, wishing he had the gall to look away from Harry’s half naked state.

Pancakes are a much recognised go-to breakfast meal that never really earned much of a throne for how simple it is to prepare. Somehow Harry manages to make an art out of this simple preparation, involving chocolate Louis found in a cabinet and cream usually hidden from the younger wolves. Louis wishes he weren’t so excluded from everything when Harry manages all on his own to have the pancakes plated with whipped cream to compensate for the lacking syrup.

“Is there a reason you didn’t tell me you could cook?” Louis accused heartily when he was afforded one from the fresh batch.

Harry was clearing up while his Omega ate. “It would disappoint you to hear that this is all I can prepare for you.”

Louis had foregone a fork to eat by tearing little bits of the fluffy pancake with his hand. “This is more than enough.”

“Having it every night would steal its wonder.” Harry placed a kiss to Louis’ temple and swiped the faint remnants of melted cocoa from the Omega’s lip with his thumb.

Louis was pleased in the humblest way to have Harry near, so he hitched his thighs over the Alpha’s waist. “Is that your way of saying you don’t want to make this for me again?”

“Again tonight, yes. Ever again, no.” Harry elaborates, evidently unaware of his own charm. He finds Louis’ muted laughter puzzling.

There are far too many of Harry’s production to eat in one night so Louis convinces the Alpha to leave it where the others might find it in the morning. He steamrolls Harry’s rejection to leave the plate in the microwave himself; the Alpha was not keen on being recognised for his cooking. Louis promised to take credit for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all expected me to cave o.O as I did. Last chapter is next 100% so what are your thoughts thus far?
> 
> Instagram @sumans98


	7. VII

It has been a productive and impressive three months since Louis’ kidnapping. The pack Omega is no longer stricken with awful fear whenever he thinks of venturing into the woods for his duties or stray more than five meters from Harry only to return with tremors ruling his petite frame. It was a noticeable effort on Harry’s part as well to let Louis wander off on purpose without following his mate out of paranoia. They’ve both suffered loss in Louis’ absence and the anguish was a recurring nightmare never promising to grant them reprieve.

From all the choices Harry made in earnest attempts to rejuvenate his Omega’s wellbeing, the best had been allowing Louis back into the company of the pack’s pups. Louis flourished whilst in the midst of their kindred and humble company; he laughed all day out on the pack common grounds where little wolves ran circles around him. Harry never tapered his worry because complacency had taken Louis from him once.

He enforced stricter protocols for their security detail and patrols at the territory gates, allowing his wolves shorter but more vigilant shifts. The fighters and hunters in training were put under pressure by their pack Alpha who worked personally with them to root out any weaklings that needed further heat. Harry was allowing for no mistakes when he tackled the proceedings of their pack at the break of a new day.

Killing Viktor made him the centre of attention at the Council’s chamber. Harry paid them a dutiful visit to justify all of his actions and hear that their verdict is nothing sacrificial; he was challenged and had the right to end one of their oldest members. The obligation of caring for Viktor’s two packs were a surprise and Harry was eager to surrender them to the only fellow Council Alpha he trusted, David. He was sworn to that those wolves would be looked after and in no way abused for they are as vulnerable now as any pack could be.

Louis heard of Harry’s forgotten plan to disown Daniel on account of his own error, and almost went berserk. He waited for his Alpha to return from meeting the Council at an ungodly hour of the night – Harry was not keen on spending a night away from Louis – before pouncing.

“Daniel is every bit as vital to this pack as I am. He’s forgiven you for your mistake and-and it’s long past time you forgive yourself, Alpha. Why would you even- He doesn’t _want_ to be in another pack and he shouldn’t have to be sent away. He’s-He’s not going anywhere! I forbid it.” He fell a little short on steam after ranting.

If anything at all, Harry was majorly endeared by Louis’ characteristic defence of any one wolf in their pack when they were wronged. He was pleased up until Louis sniffled and wiped furiously at tears that weren’t there because this upsurge seemed to be an outlet for much more than a disagreement. Then the Alpha rushed towards his mate, pulling Louis against his chest where the Omega can focus on the familiar _lub-dub_ of his heart rather than his own distress.

“Shh, little Omega. I hear you.” Harry purrs unknowingly at Louis’ ear, soothing his panicked mate with the gentle sound. “Would you have me retract my order?”

“Yes.” Louis hiccups. He seems to be falling asleep on Harry’s shoulder with the leaning of his weight. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“As you wish then. Daniel will be bound to this pack for as long as he will have us.”

Louis relaxes after hearing Harry’s surrender and breathes deeply to root his own reassurance once more. He squeezes his eyes shut to centre himself, clear the rattled thoughts from his mind as he stood. “Good. Did you visit Angel today?”

“I did.” Harry kissed the top of Louis’ head. “She just entered her fourth month and seems to require my assurance that her baby will have a home here.”

“What did you tell her?” Louis asked hurriedly; he was concerned for every wolf in their pack no matter how trivial their pursuits were. “You didn’t-”

Harry had something fond flicker across his gaze before he decided to clear the lower level of the packhouse. He bent a little to haul Louis into the cradle of his arms, turning on his heel to head upstairs. “I swore I would do nothing but protect her and her pup. Nobody is disgracing a wolf of mine by taking them away.”

*    *    *    *    *

The season of heat is a profound rarity but nonetheless not mythical like species other than wolf suspected. Omegas were especially susceptible to the phase of the moon when it seemed to glow in a darker grey than usual, and the air was perfumed by their arousal. Such a phenomenon crept up on the wolves once every few years and could never be prepared for, leaving nearly all packs defenceless for three nights. Betas were indifferent to the otherwise unsuppressable need to mate, and were thusly left as fighters or hunters to guard their packs during the heat.

Every Omega at any age, no matter how vulnerable after they matured from being a pup, was weak against their own primal urges. If they were mated then their mates were at their call, but any unmated Omega was shielded from Alphas who had no self-control. Harry prided himself in ensuring their safety as well as the willpower of his not Bonded dominants through extensive, gruesome training; he would have no intolerable imbeciles in his pack.

Louis has went his entire life not being witness to a heat and had no prior knowledge of it save for theory or what his mother told him. He was not expecting it to strike so suddenly and with such brutality that he doubled over, gasping for air when it grew thick with a medieval sense of self-destruction. There were no comprehensible thoughts in his mind once the heat fell over their woods and he felt his knees go beneath him, sliding to the ground with an ear-piercing shriek.

It was nothing but anguish as his blood boiled with an unmet desire to have Harry near. Distantly he could make out similar cries from his pack Omegas but could feel nothing in the direction of aiding them when his own body screamed at him. His skin was growing flushed, his throat dry and uncooperative as he hunched over in the dirt beside the embers of last night’s bonfire.

Louis felt it bubble in the pit of his belly, dousing his inner Omega in burning ash before spreading to every inch of his being. His vision blurred with tears and his fingers curled into his shirt as if hoping to rip it off for some relief, but no such reprieve was granted. All of his heart and instincts were treacherous and uncompromising in the way they fuelled every ache in him, longing for fulfilment where his body has never experienced it.

It was smelt before he felt it, the casual seeping of moisture between his thighs to dampen his inner clothing. He’d never been familiar with his own slick before or means of arousal and here it was breaking every reservation the Omega had to make an appearance.

Something firm and bare touched his arm, extinguishing nearly all of his suffering with one grip. Louis heard himself make a curious sound that he didn’t command, and through watery eyes could see the undeniable silver of his Alpha’s eyes. He sagged against Harry’s arms in the instant that he was lifted off the ground, burying his face in the Alpha’s neck where a scent most alluring fanned out across his enflamed senses.

Harry had to be saying something with the way his lips moved across Louis’ shoulder as he moved them towards the packhouse, but Louis didn’t care. He was safe where he lay in Harry’s presence and anything else was irrelevant for a blink of time. There was nothing the Alpha could do to stop Louis from mewling in an ardent need to have their skin connected; he could only run up the stairs to their bedroom with his own pounding heart.

The sensations his Omega triggered by unbuttoning Harry’s shirt and pressing their chests flush together were poorly ignored. Harry’s growl was a manifest of his dire impulses, rattling the windows while he wrestled with the doorknob. Louis had Harry’s shirt nearly off his shoulders entirely and was scenting the Alpha in a corrupt sequence, a permanent whine at the back of his throat.

None should blame Louis for his intoxicated forwardness. Harry’s skin was the cool water which his scathing exterior needed, and no matter how many times he ran his palms along the Alpha’s torso to a thundering pulse origin it felt blindly refreshing. It seemed to offer clarity on why the Gods ever decided to gift them something so intense; they forced mated couples together and allowed their fondness for one another to flourish. They had to find each other, Alpha and Omega, to be at their finest.

Louis’ back hit the sheets when Harry lowered him gingerly onto the bed, his smaller hands coiled into his Alpha’s shirt where he wouldn’t have to let go. Harry fell forward with an immediate tug to his clothing, his hips cradled by Louis’ thighs and his muscles quivered as he held himself back. Louis smelt like every purity this world that beckoned Harry’s inner wolf forth to claim and mark irrevocably.

“You do not want this. You do not want me yet.” Harry looked at his Omega with worry of his own like a raging inferno. He was burdened with the sourness of doubt and concern, shaking his head before withdrawing physically.

Louis followed. The Omega sat up ramrod straight and scrambled to follow Harry off the bed, grabbing hold of the dominant’s arm with both hands. It was an all-consuming emptiness within him that weighed down on Louis like a million bricks and twice as many heartbreaks. He breathed in his mate’s scent, ruggedly appealing like the man himself.

Harry’s will was cracking and it became evident with the curl of his fists, the protrusion of a vein in his neck. He was looking away from the disillusioned Omega against him, avoiding all chance of touching the boy.

“Need you.” Louis didn’t want to speak; he couldn’t fathom the task of formulating sentences when his focus was thusly sabotaged. He sent Harry all that he was feeling through their flared Bond, listening as the Alpha inhaled sharply from such an onslaught of feverish want.

Of all the duties and laborious instruction bestowed on him from his father, Harry never paid much heed to the fancies of an Omega. He struggled now in remembering what little he could when he let himself stop fighting back; this is his mate for every lifetime to come and the only Omega deserving his physical affection. They had not broached the topic of knotting outside of painfully awkward discussions but Harry felt now that Louis yearned for the final seal in their Bond as much as he did. He could not look down into those wide-blown, hopeful blue orbs and deny his mate what Louis asked for.

*    *    *    *    *

Their hearts were attuned and familiar around one another but exploring each other’s bodies became new territory abruptly. Harry was proud enough to admit that he stumbled in his efforts to please his writhing, simpering Omega as the heat crashed down on them. He spent much time with just his lips on Louis’ skin, needing to restrain the submissive to keep Louis from harming himself.

Louis’ body is a wonderland, one that makes Harry’s senses go offline after the first taste. The Alpha is shameless about leaving Louis’ front down to his lush hips glistening with remnants of his appraising kisses. Louis preened at the blooming of two deep red bruises on his neck from Harry’s teeth, touching them repeatedly with his fingers to feel the throbbing afresh.

Harry’s tongue graced Louis where it was most formidable and found himself growling maniacally at the taste left lingering in his mouth. His Omega had the sweetest slick, the excess of which stained Harry’s lips in a promise to remind him always of Louis’ divine body. The Alpha had to pin Louis’ hips down when he jerked and squirmed against the mattress as if trying to put up a chase, but Harry wasn’t having it. Louis’ back arched off the bed when Harry’s tongue pressed a little deeper than the surface, lacing the atmosphere with his pleasured shout and first release.

Harry was instantly drawn by the Omega’s climax and licked the droplets off Louis’ tummy, chucking the last of his own clothing as it grew too uncomfortable. He felt his knot already threaten to form at just the smell of Louis’ orgasm and the arousal which manned his actions. There was no stopping his current torture until Harry was satisfied and Louis had come at least three times, his body boneless.

There were doubts renewed in Harry’s mind when he crawled over Louis’ form to situate himself comfortably; he’d never want to take advantage of his lovely mate when Louis was defenceless. The unfurling of something _wild_ from Louis to him reassured the Alpha that the boy is little troubled; Louis wants him as the dominant to care for him until their ends. Nothing could compromise Harry’s ease when he experienced Louis’ calm nor could his mind replicate the feeling of Louis opening up for him.

He tried to coax Louis into caution when first entering the Omega’s clenching confines, but he was merely met with lax patience. Louis experienced pain after the first throbbing inch and mewled unhappily, taking a minute to breathe before Harry continued. It should have been horrific, especially when Louis tilted his head forward and watched the Alpha’s length disappear inside him until their hips were flush and static. Louis couldn’t feel the desolate stretch and intrusion of his body like he would outside of this haze, so Harry had to take care to make sure Louis didn’t hurt himself.

Harry hasn’t bothered with sex even before meeting Louis, mainly because it never appealed to him on a scale broad enough to attract him. Now though, sheathed in what can only be the sweetest body and with Louis’ huffy little breathes against his clavicle, Harry can’t think of a more immense inclination. Their mating scent is one that is unique to them and already begun to clear the space around them of neutrality to make way for their tangible union.

Louis grounds himself by wrapping his limbs around Harry – his arms on the Alpha’s shoulders and his legs hooked over Harry’s hips. He’s panting in response to Harry’s animalistic prowess, staring wondrously up into the Alpha’s darkened gaze as his body acclimated to being tied with Harry’s. The dull twinge of his accommodating muscles had subsided so Harry could move, finally gratifying the greedy haze clouding Louis’ senses.

Harry felt Louis’ nails raking down his back and fingers threading into his hair, his inner Alpha roaring with the intensity of pleasure spiralling with them. He thrusted without coordination until he found a rhythm, hard and rapid, to execute. Louis cried out initially then melted into the pace, his body quaking from the attack on his sanity and bit Harry’s lips when they neared his own. It was maddening and deafening, the sounds of their bodies colliding vehemently against time and tide to become one unit.

Louis felt Harry’s body inside him deeper than thought comfortable and making more room against his resistance. Harry pinned Louis’ wrists down when he rounded his hips to increase Louis’ torture, leeching on the broken cries from his Omega. His eyes were slits of silver and hooded where he loomed ethereally above Louis, frowning in his concentration to not cause extensive harm.

Something possessed Louis to lean upward and so he did, dragging the tip of his tongue across Harry’s collarbone and whining impatiently at Harry’s unwillingness to _claim_ him. He dug his nails into Harry’s hipbones, prompting harsher movements from his Alpha and sighing in contentment when Harry deigned to give it to him. Louis tossed his head back, his knees curled upward nearly under Harry’s arms and gave himself over to the Alpha’s treatment.

Harry was torn up about resigning gentility with Louis but he was marvelled by the Omega’s enthusiasm. He held himself up on his elbows and pivoted his hips with punishing speed, groaning loudly to match Louis’ ragged sounds as he felt the Omega come twice more untouched below the waist. Louis was all but clawing at his back and thighs in urging the Alpha to knot him, grant him the one thing he desires tirelessly.

“I have you.” Harry framed Louis’ face in his hands and kissed his Omega deeply, licking into his mouth with the Omega turning pliant beneath him. “Relax, my sweet Omega. You are safe with me.”

He was struggling to restrain himself and finally let go when he could not bury himself any deeper in Louis’ warmth. A knot can be excruciating to accommodate and Louis has no illusions about why when Harry’s length swells near the head, locking them together for a good while. It’s wide enough to make Louis tear up, a few spilling over when Harry only nudges himself a little further. The Alpha’s lips graze Louis’ damp cheeks and taste the bleak sorrow, his body tightening up everywhere else as his knot pops.

Louis draws in a shaky breath, feeling too tender below his belly button to move. His brain is still foggy and incapable of higher thought processes so he manages a kiss to Harry’s cheek before threatening to fall asleep. Harry would explain the riveting pulses that being bound to Louis spark within him if words were ever sufficient to the craze. He’s had power and authority his entire life but belonging to someone by way of their world’s oldest magic put to shame such prestige.

Harry checked on Louis the second after his Omega showed signs of drowsiness. He regretted being so careless when he turned onto his side, taking Louis with him and incidentally causing the Omega’s unsatisfied huff. Louis was peaceful where he curled up against his mate’s heaving chest; his nose would twitch every so often when Harry inspected some part of him. The Alpha petted Louis’ sides and found no wounded flesh save for bruises from callous handling, slipped his hand a little lower to where they were joined and growled instinctively at the whirlwind it unleashed on their Bond. Louis’ features were burdened with a frown until Harry released him and he fell asleep, snoring softly into the Alpha’s pectoral.

The heat was relentless after it had been broken in. No misery could compare to one that emanated from within them in the depths of their forgotten instincts; Omegas were brought to their knees during this time. Louis couldn’t go with Harry at least within near proximity for more than a few seconds before the unwelcome assumption that his Alpha had left him blossomed. It was almost ridiculous to be so dependant and dangerously so, but so is their nature.

Harry lost count of the amount of times he’d knotted his desperate little Omega. He had made sure that Louis ate even something minuscule and drank enough water though all he seemed to want was to climb onto Harry’s lap. The Alpha would let him, more often than not, so as not to prolong Louis’ anguish. Being around when a heat struck something like seventeen years ago was not convenient for Harry. He had to leave his pack for its entire duration, treading the path of a lone wolf for several days before returning. Back then it had been a nightmare and now Harry finds little distress in being what his mate desired without break.

*    *    *    *    *

Louis was _shy_ and for excellent reason in his mind, which is why he has been avoiding Harry since morning. The heat had pulled back from their pack like a thorn from cotton wool and it had been an exhausting retreat. Every Omega in their territory had slept off their fatigue for an extra two days, eating what their Alphas brought them and curled up into their nests to rest.

The pack’s leading Omega hadn’t expected to be nesting himself but upon awakening on the fifth day with Harry deeply asleep beside him, discovered that he’d been rolled up into a burrito of covers. Some of the silken sheets which Harry preferred were wound into a circular formation closest to Louis, the heavier blankets untidily draped over him so none of him was visible to the outside world while he slept.

Harry must have been entirely pleased with the arrangement though for he was a welcome constituent; his arm was held tightly against Louis’ chest, a leg entwined with his Omega’s under all the covers. It was endearing and _safe_ to arise whilst so wrapped up in his mate, but Louis had burning shame to get ahold of and he rushed off as soon as he freed himself.

He can’t imagine what Harry thinks of him now that the Alpha has seen him at his most desperate, lacking all forms of dignity and mannerisms. Louis cringes at what could be flowing through Harry’s mind now that he’s destroyed the sanction of their Bond with his misdemeanours. Without thinking, Louis had gotten dressed and escaped from the packhouse to occupy his idle mind with _anything._

Now, he’s completed his uninstructed rounds of checking on every cabin with an Omega. It was no surprise that the dominants of the home met him at the door with no small amount of hostility. Most Omegas were still sensitive and prone as they came out of their heats, carrying around with them the scent of lingering past arousal. When Louis had done all he was entitled to around the common ground, he returned to the packhouse with anxiety riddling his every step.

He was still tired. Every muscle in him had been pulled taut and pinned in place, the most sensitive region of his body was infinitely sore and making him wince on every step. Louis regretted none of what he’d given up to Harry because a deep, undying part of his inner Omega was rightfully eager to hand itself over. The more tragic realisation was that Louis is too afraid to face the aftermath, even with the greatest leap forward in their unconditional intimacy.

Waiting for him in the kitchen was Harry. The Alpha looked _lethal_ where he stood with his arms crossed and gaze hooded, the silver intensity no less intense than expected. Harry was not dressed aside from a pair of low-hanging sweatpants though nothing about him seemed harmless when he stepped closer. Louis stopped short in the doorway like prey that had finally been spotted by its hunter.

“Must my company be so tedious for you, Omega?” Harry seethed, the floorboards creaking beneath his weight as he neared Louis. The anger radiated off Harry so fervently that it altered his scent, made him too frightening to approach. _“Why did you run off, Louis?”_

Louis was ill prepared for a question and choked on his response, diverting his eyes to anywhere but his Alpha. “I-I was scared.”

“Scared of what?!” Harry was letting his anger seep into his words and ignite his rage enough to knock everything off the counter with one sweeping motion. It was a bitter regret afterwards and the Alpha turned away entirely, leaning against the sink with his brows furrowed. “You disgraced me.”

“I didn’t mean to.” Louis swore, stepping over the shards of their shattered fruit bowl. He saw his own faults before another’s and this one screamed at him. By the time he’d come to Harry he was involuntarily tearing up, each sting a punishing dose regret. “Alpha, I-I’m _sorry._ ”

“I know you are.” Harry mutters, his head hanging low between his shoulders. He hissed when Louis entered his personal space to place his hand gingerly on the dominant’s forearm. “Touching me now would be out of pity. Save your energy.”

Louis bowed his head, retracted his hand. He deserved those sour words. “I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

Harry scoffed, unimpressed, and still refused to look at Louis. “Leaving our bed before I woke was not effective in doing that for you, Omega.”

“I panicked!” Louis saw the demise of his self-respect in Harry’s eye and could not let it be without argument. He had the Alpha’s attention after his minor outburst, choosing to use Harry’s evident surprise as leverage. “I panicked and I made a mistake, Alpha. I’ve never been in-intimate with someone and the heat must have made me seem so...so cheap.”

“Omega, you are not the only one to have given yourself over.” Harry rationalised more calmly than earlier, his face being hidden behind a dark brown curtain of curls. “I understand your fear but I cannot tolerate it anymore. We are not strangers, Omega, not in any way.”

Louis can only manage one last refute with his throat as clogged as it is, accepting his Alpha’s outstretched hand to lean into the broader wolf. “I won’t leave again.”

“That would be wisest.” Harry’s mirth is of poor enthusiasm. He pushes off the counter’s edge and Louis’ eyes follow him in mild trepidation while the Alpha straightened his back. “Also, _never_ leave our bed when your heat has just ended.”

Louis knew for sure that was an act of blind stupidity; he was vulnerable and dependant up until his Alpha deemed the moment of his complete full recovery. Anything could happen and enabling any form of tragedy is nothing short of irresponsible on the part of their pack Omega.

“I won’t.” Louis promises quietly, rubbing his own arms with the opposite hand and lowering his gaze to the floor. “Do you forgive me?”

“I was never that upset.” Harry admits upon turning around, beckoning his mate forth with an outstretched hand. “Come to your mate, little Omega.”

He effortlessly curls a secured arm around Louis’ waist where his frame concaved before the delicious plumpness below, tucking the Omega in against his chest. When he spoke it was in a rumbling voice, low and _personal_ where his lips grazed Louis’ reddened ear. Louis’ scent was permanently altered by the rendering of their physical Bond and Harry could highlight just was subtleties had changed. The vanilla undertone which sweetened Louis’ overall approach remained but it was lined by something a little less delicate and a lot more prone to recklessness. It was sharp and poised, filling Harry’s senses like a drug.

“I know what you were afraid of.” Harry rasped, fitting his forearm into the dip of Louis’ spine. His Omega chastely hit from any affection and allowed himself to relax against his dominant. “You were perfect, darling. My only dream.”

Louis picked aimlessly at his own fingers, hiding the brilliance of his own grin. He looked away when Harry caught his eyes speculatively and heat blossomed in his belly with a welcome tingle, his cheeks painted rose pink.

The Alpha was not having it; he took Louis’ hand in his and held it firmly against his chest so his mate could not hide. “What has gotten you so shy, Omega? Hmm?”

Louis tilts his head back a bit so their eyes meet, dimming grey on untamed blue. He was still smothering the final hints of his preen. “It’s nothing.”

“I don’t believe it is nothing.” Harry captured Louis by the backs of his thighs, raising his Omega well off the ground so Louis has to lean on him or risk falling. The boy succumbs to an outburst of giggles where he’s biting his lip to contain them futilely and grips Harry’s shoulders with all his effort to not fall over. “Now I must know what has pleased my mate so.”

“Darling.” Is all Louis replied with, beaming in a way that Harry hopes to spend his existence cherishing in its purity. “You called me darling.”

Harry lowered Louis a bit, their faces a hair’s breadth apart so the Omega could securely reciprocate his embrace. “I did and I can tell you…favour that name.”

“A little bit.” Louis pinches his thumb and forefinger together to visibly convey his depth. He finds Harry not even looking at the display but is rather staring with scalding intensity at _him_ , the emerald having returned to his gaze. Nothing about the Alpha’s expression was readable for Louis to know what he was thinking. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Harry answers, the timbre of his voice haunted by truth. “I doubt anything will ever be wrong again, little Omega. Not for us.”

Something in the moment must have swept them away to a private bubble in which no other soul resided, because Harry has Louis pinned against the kitchen island with their mouths in a desperate union not two minutes later. His Omega is making the sweetest, breathless sounds of wanting as he clings to Harry’s shoulders and runs his hands along the dominant’s body where muscle rippled and skin drew tight. Louis mewled from the sharpness of Harry’s teeth sinking into his bottom lip, his heart in tandem with the pace at which Harry explored his skin.

Hands were between Louis’ thighs, prying them apart even as they quivered with nerves but slowly parted so the Alpha could feel where he was truly wanted. Louis heard a rip in the cotton of his shorts before a prolonged forces shredded the fabric.

“My poor darling.” Harry taunted, listening to the quickening of Louis’ breath when he yanked him closer to the island’s edge. His fingertips grazed Louis’ most private skin, the tender muscle between his legs clenching around nothing as Harry applied vague pressure to the dampening rim. “You have gotten so brave to let me touch you like this.”

Louis licked his lips, his eyes ablaze and a little watery. He whimpered into their kiss when Harry’s finger entered him at no gentle pace; it was barely much reprieve from what he experienced with his Alpha before but Louis was drunk off any touch afforded to him.

There were others present in their pack, those who visit the packhouse regularly for any unspoken or noble reason. Louis and Harry seemed to carelessly forget that truth, and the Alpha nearly lost his temper at the intrusion of three Betas. He roared his command for them to leave before entering the kitchen where his Omega is bare and sheepishly sprawled out.

Louis’ panic is abated when Harry sends the familiar others off hurriedly and the Alpha leans down to kiss him from clavicle to belly button. “I must have you upstairs. Others could still walk in and see you this way.”

It’s no surprise they never made it a few extra feet to the bedroom. Harry took Louis against the door once they were in his locked study, moulding his lips against the Omega’s to taste every hint of pleasure. He knew any of his wolves would know why the door rattled in its hinges and threatened to break off entirely with how feverish his thrusts became, but that was little more than a fleeting thought.

Louis’ skin was flushed and clammy with sweat, his belly dipping with each draw of air into his lungs. He was never allowed to look away even when everything became too much and he thought his throat was burning from his poorly muffled screams. Harry all but crushed him against the heavy oak barrier, his knees bent to allow for a perfect angle before driving into his mate as if each lurch of his hips was a show of apology and earnest.

It was messy and deliberately so, with Harry’s sweatpants in a pool around his ankles and Louis’ clothing torn in a discarded pile. The Alpha was striking his sweetest spot on each try and connecting their lips on each purposeful thrust, his palm flattened against the cold wood at Louis’ head for leverage. Louis’ thighs were trembling from strain and sticky with slick that Harry’s length forced out of him frequently. He’s orgasmed once already and his sensitivity is through the roof, making every sound of his vulnerable like he felt. The soreness of earlier was twisting Louis’ insides deep enough where his Alpha’s girth fruitfully intruded; every flinch or stifled moan was documented in Harry’s mind.

“Alpha.” Louis panted, his peace corrupted by a shriek when Harry nails the exact spot that renders him catatonic.

Harry is careful but hurried when he surrenders his grip on Louis’ thighs, pecking his Omega’s lips before turning the boy around. Louis is curious about the alternate position but he says nothing, waiting patiently with swollen lips and an eager giddiness. He gasps audibly when Harry draws his hips back, arching his spine with a hand at the base of it.

“If I come close to harming you, you must tell me.” Harry whispers against Louis’ shoulderblade, positioning himself at the Omega’s sinfully gaping entrance before fully sheathing himself. He notices Louis’ wavering and growls, bucking his hips forward. “Hands on the door, darling.”

His Omega obeys and raises himself from being bent over, shuddering explicitly when Harry flattens him against his means of support. The Alpha couldn’t bare the quaint distance even with their bodies joined so intimately. Harry linked their fingers together against the door and started to move his hips in articulate jerks, removing one hand so that his arm might keep Louis from colliding too harshly with the door when he pounds away.

 _“H-Harry.”_ Louis had something to plea and he had to get it out before his courage retreated. At the apex of his pleasure, his inner Omega was wild with instinct.

Harry knew. He could sense it in the way Louis’ body seemed to pull him in, wanting him to stay. He could smell the fervent desire in his Omega’s blood, and he would oblige as a loving mate. “I know, darling.”

Louis felt his lip quiver as his climax ripped through him and slammed into him with brutal ferocity. He screamed and every wolf for ten miles had to have heard him, the way his body sagged in victory. His Alpha’s peril was the inability to withhold his own peak, and buried himself as deep as he could go in Louis’ warmth before his knot popped. Harry slid a hand down between Louis’ thighs and over the mess of his release, yanking the Omega off the ground by a hold on his one leg. Louis was taken to the only couch in the room.

The knot tying them together was a sensitive expansion that bruised every Omega’s walls with how sudden it was to swell. It kept Louis from leaking for at least thirty minutes, allowing his body to bask in having what it craved.

“Easy. You will hurt yourself if you aren’t careful.” Harry cautioned Louis when the Omega threatened to move restlessly. He positioned them so Louis was in the curl of his body, protected from the chilly air and any entrances to the room. Harry kissed the blush in Louis’ cheeks with an unashamed smirk. “Do not shy away, my little darling. You asked for what you wanted.”

“I didn’t even _ask_ properly.” Louis was horrified with himself, but Harry could not let that go on.

He rolled over, putting his surprised Omega beneath him and spoke against the goosebumps below Louis’ ear. “My wolf recognised the need in yours, and so we will breed until my pups are in your belly.”

Louis’ nose scrunched up. “Don’t say it like that, Alpha. It’s a little…crude.”

“Romanticising aspects in our lives is not familiar to me.”

“Try, Alpha.” Louis made an effort to not shift their lower halves when rose off the couch, an arm thrown over Harry’s shoulders and the other hand cupping his Alpha’s cheek. He brought their lips together but not in a kiss. “I know you can be sweet.”

Harry ran his palms along Louis’ thigh, reminiscing over the fingerprint bruises on such delicate skin. “You are the Omega my wolf chose, and I want you to bring my heirs into this world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to give the pregnancy and their pups their own chapters because I am weak. Hope you liked this chapter o.O I tried to give the mating cycles a little twist.
> 
> Instagram @sumans98


	8. VIII

Louis thinks he is pregnant with some certainty. No, he was absolutely sure.

The heat may have withdrawn its talons from wolf packs residing in all the lands, but Harry was not adhering to that reality any more than he bothered to put pants on. Louis’ Alpha was most keen on making sure they conceived, in accordance to both their wished. His Omega might be young presently – a mere delightful nineteen – but Louis is much more mature than most wolves made into mothers. If Louis is so beside himself with the urge to mate, it could only be as a result of his mind and body aligning to the same motivation.

Harry was not learned about having a pregnant mate or how to ascertain whether it was true, besides the fact that Louis’ scent will alter when the pregnancy is pronounced enough. It’s supposed to make an Omega’s scent unfathomably tempting, calling to mind all the greatest preferences of anyone nearby. That facet of expecting pups made Omegas especially vulnerable during their nine month gestation period; there weren’t many who could resist a beautiful submissive smelling of all their personal desires.

“Omega.” Harry was not allowed inside the bathroom when Louis showered because the Alpha was not against invading his mate’s bath session for some attention. He stood, statuesque, at the door with his forehead against the cold wood and his knuckles tapping occasionally on it. “Might you be done anytime soon?”

“Almost.” Came Louis’ amused response, wrapping a towel securely around him. “Um- Do you have my clothes?”

Harry was smirking to himself treacherously. He was careful to keep his mate’s chosen nightwear for himself so Louis had to retire to him after his shower. “Perhaps.”

“Can I have it please?” Louis asked softly through their dividing structure.

It’s their eighteenth night away from obliging to pack responsibilities and Harry would always have the nagging reminder to keep him from running away with Louis, but they’re both confident in having earned a little break. Louis anointed Niall while Harry handed his duties to Daniel along with a reassurance that the latter Alpha will always have his home here among them. For now, they were a paradise unto themselves.

On their bed, Louis had subconsciously amassed all their bedding and even some of Harry’s clothing for his perfect nest. Harry was not allowed in it so much as he was a part of its construction; the Alpha must lay where Louis could not stop a cold draft from entering, and remain close to him so the Omega was never doubtful of his presence.

“I can still smell myself on you.” Harry preferred to dress Louis even if the Omega is most capable of handling the task. He carried his mate to a couch beside the window, allowing the mildest breeze to intercept their company. “ _In_ you.”

Louis blushed shamefully at Harry’s unfiltered words. He was admittedly unable to entirely rid himself of his Alpha’s presence that lingered in sinful remnants inside him. Harry’s knot was nearly _punishing_ with how long it lasted and its lacking gentility when cradled within Louis’ body. “I-I couldn’t um- get it all out.”

Harry sat Louis down on his lap and brushed through the Omega’s damp hair with his fingertips, his face buried in the boy’s neck. “I see no tragedy in that.”

A giggle erupted from Louis a he straightened himself out across Harry’s thighs, curling back into a comfortable ball after relaxing his muscles. “That’s because you’re a big, possessive bear.”

“Bear?” Harry prompts. “I think you might be the one most convinced that I am a wolf. _Your_ wolf, little darling.”

Louis observed those pack members way below them preparing the bonfire for the night as the moon rose stunningly over their heads. He sat up astride Harry’s lap with his elbows propped on the Alpha’s shoulders. “Can we join them at the bonfire tonight?”

“I never have.” Harry says with bleak honesty. His words are slurred with his distracting notion of mouthing over the numerous marks on Louis’ neck. “Do you suppose they might be surprised if we intrude?”

“We won’t be intruding.” Louis promises, leaning a bit forward to peer out of the cavernous window. “They mostly share pack stories and legends.”

Harry needed more convincing than that but after an indeterminate amount of time his Omega had won him over. They dressed to be seen outside their bedroom and Louis thanked him with a deep kiss before leaving the packhouse. Despite the Alpha’s affinity for staying indoors unless dire circumstances were met, Louis was proud to witness Harry’s cooperation in the bonfire’s activities.

His mate lit the initial flame which burnt through the night and released flickering embers into the night. The pack wolves were eager to find out whether they’d be honoured with an heir to their leading Alpha but refrained from asking so soon. It was not until the pack doctor asked about Louis’ health after the heat that Harry started paying attention to their conversation, prying himself away from Daniel’s update on the pack’s happenings.

“Tomorrow you can find out for sure.” Louis and Dr Stephens quietened when they realised everyone was listening to them. “It’s no mystery that these wolves are eager to know.”

“They must contain themselves.” Harry spoke with the faintest hint of warning to his pack; he’s still their Alpha and will not allow them to be taken with common camaraderie. It is a celebration for all wolves when the leading mated pair conceives, but that also further isolates them until the pup is born.

Louis has a different approach; he squeezes Harry’s hand where it sits on his front and smiles kindly at the doctor. “Tomorrow, it is. Thank you.”

*    *    *    *    *

“Harry?” Louis might have seen his Alpha so restless but even this mode is unsettling. Harry has not taken a seat all morning and went from pacing around the room to cracking his knuckles or chewing his lip until it bled.

They were in the pack doctor’s cabin expecting the Beta at any moment. Louis had to hold Harry back from demanding that they be attended to immediately because the flu-y young wolf before them deserved treatment first.

Harry has been on edge since last night with doubts and concerns that were shockingly unreasonable. His racing mind conjured every possibility of his own or Louis’ hallucinations that might steal the reality of his Omega being pregnant. Louis suspects it’s because the Alpha did not sleep when he did and was riddled with anxiety.

“Harry.” Louis said more firmly. He didn’t think it would work but Harry stopped his nervous movements to look at his Omega expectantly. “Come hold my hand.”

The Alpha obediently came to Louis’ side, looming formidably over his prone mate as he clasped Louis’ hand. He set his forehead against Louis’ temple and inhaled deeply but could detect no change in the scent he’s grown to fawn over. “Do you need anything?”

“Yes.” Louis pulled himself upright on the oddly stiff examination table and leaned into Harry’s chest. “I was hoping you might calm down a little.”

Before Harry could respond, Dr Stephens entered with the profile he’s drawn up on Louis’ name. Their previous pack doctor was too unprofessional and almost primitive in his painful treatments; Louis remembers going to Harry with the guilty request to have the wolf removed from this office.

“Alright.” Dr Stephens smiled warmly at Louis, respectfully bowing his head at a marginally tense Harry. “Your energy affects your mate and pup, if there is one. Try to be careful, Alpha.”

“There has to be a pup.”  Harry would be dumbstruck if Louis weren’t expecting, he’d knotted the boy too many times for it to not be possible. “My pup.”

“Easy there, Papa Wolf.” Louis laughed under his breath, lightly scratching Harry’s stubbly jaw to ground him. “Anything is possible.”

“A few questions first.” Dr Stephens says politely, roping his stethoscope back over his shoulders after its use. “It’s no surprise that our pregnancies can be better detected at an earlier stage than humans but most of our symptoms are the same. Have you experienced any symptoms that could be related to a pregnancy?”

This incidentally made Louis and Harry both frown. Louis hasn’t experienced morning sickness or increased weight gain. “No, I don’t think so.”

Harry shifts his weight to one leg and Louis squeezes his hand, a silent plea to w _ait._

“That’s fine. Not every wolf experiences those things and some have it much worse.” Dr Stephens elaborates. “No previous pregnancies?”

Harry growls threateningly at that but Louis eases his frayed nerves. “They’re customary questions, Alpha. He has to ask.”

Dr Stephens is accommodating to Harry’s brutish behaviour. “Alphas are most territorial during a mate’s pregnancy. This might be a symptom most prevalent for your earliest stages.”

Louis forces Harry to look at him, knowing that they are not an ordinary couple in this pack and cannot overshare no matter how deep the urge. Their dignity must be maintained and respected.

They are questioned about Louis’ medical history as Harry’s bloodline has theirs already fully documented. Louis has to deny having any known genetic defects or ailments before Dr Stephens asks him to change out of his clothes for an invasive exam. Harry all but loses his calm in one swift tragedy when he hears that, anger encompassing his gaze when he imagines another wolf touching Louis where only he has the right.

“Alpha.” Louis was granted a few minutes to change and simultaneously soothe Harry’s alternate rage.

“I do not want him touching you.” Harry grits, silver sparking in his eyes to overtake the cool foresty green.

Louis tries to smile and lighten the rigidity of his dominant. “It’s a regular procedure, I promise. Please let him do it.”

“Is there no other way?” Harry is heaving his breaths. “He’s going to- This might kill me, Omega.”

“It won’t.” Louis giggles in full mockery of his Alpha’s reaction. “Don’t you want to see your pup, Alpha?”

Louis is sure that during the painless examination Harry bust a vein, but the Alpha kept it to himself nonetheless. He truthfully loathed the discomfort of a cold, blunt instrument anywhere near his body but tolerated it with patience. Dr Stephens was careful about adjusting the wand and searching for what he needed to see, until a little addition popped into frame on the grey screen.

“Congratulations, Louis. Alpha.” Dr Stephens offered them what is probably a most genuine smile. “Your pup may have hid from me but they’re certainly in there. Two weeks along and perfectly healthy.”

*    *    *    *    *

“Are you comfortable, little Omega?” Harry asked when Louis gave in to his fatigue and laid down in bed. Dr Stephens informed him that wolf pregnancies are the same length in time as human pregnancies but their pups developed more extensively than babies. Thus, being in need of more sleep than usual is no surprise.

Louis hummed, his eyes already half-lidded and his smile withered to something tired. Even so, Louis extended his arm towards Harry to beckon the Alpha. “Come nap with me.”

Harry did not need to be asked twice. All the way from Dr Stephen’s cabin to the packhouse, he had been cautious about venturing too close to Louis or handling his mate the way he used to. He has to be _gentle_ with his pregnant Omega now and accommodating regarding all of Louis’ resultant tendencies; the sluggishness, the impending appetite and moodiness. Harry feels fear and doubt for the first time to such an extent.

“Alright.” The Alpha crawls onto their bed and only settles down when he is within close proximity to his mate and pup. He realises then that he would be a fool to sleep now when he can lie awake, admiring the boy who carried his heir.

“Alpha?” Louis’ fingers were carding through Harry’s damp twisted locks. He made a muffled satisfied sound when the dominant cradled his midsection between two burly arms. “Are you happy?”

Harry’s growl is timid, curious. “I cannot imagine ever having been this content in all my years.”

“Really?” Louis’ expression split with his relieved grin. “You have an heir now, Alpha.”

“I have a pup.” Harry reiterates, clinging to his mate who held him in return just as fervently. “A little wolf to protect and delight.”

The Alpha is not one who ordinarily sought to _cuddle_ with his mate, much less anyone else. He held Louis when they slept because, as their histories have indicated, disaster could strike at any hour and pry them apart. However, returning from Dr Stephens’ cabin has turned Louis’ Alpha into a clingy dominant counterpart who paralysed any hope of escape as soon as they were in their nest again.

“Alpha, I-I need to use the bathroom.” Louis voiced his predicament for the third time hoping it won’t go unheard again. He’s quite fond of his Alpha holding onto him like they shared a life source but his bladder is not so keen presently.

The Omega is a little irritable after having just awoken from his two hour nap. His wandering mind had been disturbed by excessive pressure on his bladder and lying on his back only seemed to worsen the gravity of his discomfort.

Third time is the charm and Harry surfaces from where his face had been buried in Louis’ belly. He has a mildly possessed glimmer in his grey orbs – Louis was unsettled by the illusion of melting sterling silver that the Alpha’s irises housed. “Now?”

“Yes please.” Louis blinked innocently down at his infatuated dominant. He gasped at the unexpected sensation of Harry kissing his exposed belly. “Why-”

“As I am my pup’s father, I thought it would be most appropriate to say goodbye.”

“I’m going to be ten feet away, Alpha.” Louis stood from the bed and relished in being upright for the first time in hours, stretching within his constraints and limits from Dr Stephens. He was not aware of Harry’s stare on him until he’d opened his eyes from a brief rest. “Something wrong?”

Harry started to shake his head but that didn’t seem to be enough. “I will be at ease when you return.”

Louis reassures his uncertain dominant with a kiss to the man’s forehead before disappearing into the bathroom. In the time that he is gone, Harry rummages through their kitchen for any food that could sustain his mate without elaborate preparation. Their pack never has leftovers from prior meals because wolves ate to fill their bellies every chance they got; all that never seemed to enthral them is fruit.

“What are you doing, Alpha?” Louis is standing in the kitchen doorway before Harry can detect his presence, his shirt falling off one shoulder and thick socks on his feet.

Harry strides over to Louis, securing an arm around his Omega’s waist. “Why are you out of bed?”

“I’m hungry.” Louis states simply. He yawns and blinks blearily up at Harry who is close to a head taller than him.

“I was going to bring you something.” Harry is helpless against Louis’ headstrong sense of belonging. The Omega has already manoeuvred past him on swift feet and opened the refrigerator in search of some snack.

Louis offers him a saccharine smile. “You were? Thank you.”

Harry’s earlier assessment of their food supplies is painfully accurate so Louis has to make something from scratch. The Alpha contemplates if the repercussions of having a separate pantry of groceries for Louis would be worth trying the scheme out at all. He can’t have Louis walking down stairs to cook for himself at the later stages of this pregnancy.

Night falls and Louis decides that maybe it’s the best time to announce the conception of this pack’s leading heir. He argues that the sooner the better and stalling with the information will only result in every wolf finding out for themselves – a less than dignified alternative for the mated pair. Harry finds himself agreeing as if Louis is the one sitting on his throne in this pack and he is a loyal servant.

Their wolves gather under Niall and Daniel’s instruction, but Louis learns that he can’t be in the room when the declaration is made. He is pouting and disgruntled when Harry kneels at his bedside dressed only in unbelted jeans and boots.

“Why can’t I come too?” Louis won’t release Harry’s hand yet; he’s hoping the purse of his lips and distraught glimmer in his eye will work.

Harry lays several kisses on his Omega’s wrist where the pulse that is in tune with his own rests. “It’s tradition, little darling. The pack Omega is always at risk when they’re away from their nest, especially when pregnant.”

“But-” Louis doesn’t have much to protest with at the moment he opens his mouth. “But those are our wolves. They’d never hurt me.”

“I am sorry, darling.” Harry sighs when his mate’s disappointment strangles the ecstasy of their bond. “Would you be content with standing at the top of the staircase instead?”

“Yes!” Louis’ frown disappears and he surges forward to embrace his Alpha, partially off the bed when his arms lock securely around the man’s neck. He kisses Harry’s cheek. “Thank you.”

When the words of their pregnancy leave Harry’s lips not thirty minutes later, a commotion breaks out in the communal assembly room. Some wolves are howling and others are whistling in a keen sharpness that lights everyone’s senses on fire. Louis realises that Harry didn’t seem to trust him not to run into the assembly at this point as he stationed Niall at the base of the staircase to look after him.

The celebrations are hindered by Harry’s additional proclamation regarding them not accepting gifts from their pack wolves, despite their enthusiasm. Every wolf wanted their pack Alpha and Omega to possess a contribution from their homes at any momentous milestone. Harry bid his pack adieu with a subtle bow of his head before turning to hurriedly leave the room.

Although nobody was informed of Louis’ presence, they were all glad to see the pack Omega standing a level above them at the railing. They wave at him and shouted so many laudatory messages despite being on their way out the door.

Harry catches a whiff of some acquainted but unwelcome scent on his mate’s clothing when they’re back in the shelter of their bedroom. “Is that Niall’s scent on you, Omega?”

Louis never thought he’d get away with it even as he hugged his best friend earlier, meeting at a common point on the staircase but still out of Harry’s sight. “I’m sorry.”

“If I hadn’t known you would want to see him, I might have had Daniel at those steps.” Harry undoes the tie in his hair and sniffs, grimacing. “You need to have a shower now, little Omega.”

Louis already had one of his preferred fluffy bath towels draped over his arm; he questions Harry’s unprecedented encouragement to rinse all foreign fragrances off him with a raised brow. “Are you going to try to scent me when I finish?”

“Yes.” Harry deadpans without an ounce of indignity or hesitation.

After Louis emerged from the bathroom with damp hair, glistening skin and traces of lavender soap clinging to his skin, he is dressed in nothing other sinful white boxer briefs. It was too early for Harry to be thrilled with the thought of the underwear’s elastic waistband expanding to suit Louis’ baby bump. He is already looking forward to witnessing the Omega’s belly grow to accommodate the development of their unborn pup.

“Is this all you are going to wear?” Harry asked in concern for his mate catching a cold during the night.

Louis looked down at his current state as if the image was anew. “Perhaps not.”

*    *    *    *    *

When Louis hit the two month mark he had nothing more than a slight pudge which was physically indicative of his pregnancy. He seems to think that he’s gained weight aside from that as a result of his poorly schedules cravings; the most common one being his affinity for icing and sliced pickles. It cannot be said that Harry would have to make an effort to not look away from Louis’ quirky dishes.

Two nights ago Louis woke up at one in the morning wanting roasted lamb with baby potatoes, which he did not go without even if it meant staying awake for two hours thereafter. Harry never sanctioned his Omega going anywhere without him if it was beyond their bedroom so he had to sit sluggishly on a kitchen stool while Louis happily peeled and buttered baby potatoes at an ungodly hour.

At ten weeks along in the pregnancy all Louis wanted to do was dance in the rain, even though the idea gave Harry heart palpitations. Once Louis came to him with the humble request and was denied in lieu of the fact that catching any sickness, however mild or temporary, is not viable. Harry wants to be fair to his mate however, and finds out if Louis’ desire truly cannot be indulged from Dr Stephens who only confirms what he earlier suspected.

Three months benchmarks the conclusion of the first trimester and also happens to be the least eventful period. Louis eats nothing that makes Harry cringe and doesn’t strain himself with more excitement than necessary. The Omega spends his days in Harry’s study whether the latter is present or not; knowing that he isn’t allowed into the company of his pack anymore makes Louis ill with restlessness.

Niall sometimes reports to Louis as Daniel does to Harry if there is some dilemma that requires their direct attention, but those occasions are too rare to be reliable. Angelica has her baby and Louis is surprised by her visit to the packhouse when she is able enough. She thanks Louis for safeguarding her pup even if he was born from a nightmare; Angelica can no longer see past the beauty and privilege that it is to be a mother.

“What if Dr Stephens lied to me?” Louis is pouting at his reflection where he is standing at an angle, trying to catch at least a glimpse of something resembling a bump.

Harry exited the shower with a towel around his waist and water dripping from every possible bank in his hair or well-built form. “What would his motivation be behind lying?”

Louis sometimes adores how miniscule their bathroom countertop is; neither of them can get anything done without bumping elbows or hips accidentally. He shuffles a little out of the way when Harry nears him in his tactful semi-nudity.

“Maybe he felt guilty telling us the truth.” Louis nibbled on his bottom lip. He failed to guard himself against being detected when he salaciously eyes his Alpha; Louis isn’t one to care how impressive one’s outward appeal is but Harry is _at least_ deserving of some praise.

Harry has arms that seem to consume Louis when they embrace him. The Alpha is a bearer of numerous tattoos, each one being the image of a pack or lone wolf symbols. During the nights when Louis found himself asleep half draped across Harry’s chest, he’s learnt that listening to the Alpha’s constantly thrashing heartbeat is an eternal pacifier for any uneasiness.

“I doubt Dr Stephens would risk his throat by lying.” Harry spoke after a steady silence and Louis almost forgot what they were discussing.

The Omega’s poor balance has him swaying minutely but he feels no remorse when that disparity leads to him leaning into Harry. He sets his forehead on Harry’s bicep and his leaden eyelids threaten to seal with the scent of his Alpha blanketing him protectively.

“Are you tired, little darling?” Harry’s  hand cradles the back of Louis’ head, shifting slightly so his Omega is resting against his chest.

“Not tired.” Louis answers.

Harry kisses the top of Louis’ head and keeps an arm wound firmly around the boy’s hips for the sake of savouring his mate’s presence. When he needs to leave the bathroom it is not without bending to hike Louis’ thighs over his hips. The Omega supports himself, albeit lazily, so Harry keeps a hand gripping the boy’s behind as a safety net.

When all Harry does is stroll into the closet for clothing, Louis feels disappointment flutter to life in his chest. He had a motive and thought it would be apparent enough to the Alpha.

“Alpha.” His teeth latch onto Harry’s earlobe for nothing more than attention. Something like a devilish smirk surfaces on his expression when Harry pauses mid-stride, his fingers flexing on Louis’ posterior.

“Omega?” Harry’s voice wavers just the slightest at the hint of something formidably tempting in Louis’ behaviour.

His mate’s back arches into him purposefully and Harry’s ignorance is abruptly ruined. Louis was on his back moments later squirming beneath his Alpha’s looming figure while Harry’s throbbing erection sunk into him. They were both grateful for the dominant never having gotten a chance to dress himself and all Louis had to do was unhook the man’s towel to obtain what he wanted.

Harry stopped moving when he is bottomed out in his ethereal mate, unable to comprehend the swiftness with which he surrendered to Louis’ lure. He glides his palms along Louis’ sides, under his arms and pinning the boy’s wrists down before bucking his hips. Louis gasps at the assault on his insides, his skin turning a flushed pink all the way down to his belly button. Harry earns his kiss from Louis without pleading, groaning at the sensation of Louis’ hot little tongue battling his.

Never had Harry suspected himself of being so desperate as he was when Louis asked for him this way. He had barely gotten the Omega’s underwear off and foregone removing Louis’ shirt entirely in favour of rushing the proceedings along.

Louis doesn’t fight Harry’s hold on him; he crosses his ankles at the Alpha’s back and rolls his hips back against Harry on every torturous thrust. He was filled to the brim when Harry was seated inside him and experienced just an inch of borderline soreness from having the greater than average girth enter him. Harry was not trying to be gentle or callous; he thrusted his lower half against Louis’ in a gyrating rhythm.

When his shirt was bunched up under his arms in an uncouth rush, Louis shuddered at the hope for Harry’s mouth on his heated skin. A mewl left his parted lips when the Alpha suckled without decorum on his pebbled nipples, drawing the skin out with sharp canines until it was red and swollen. Harry sneaked a hand lower between Louis and the mattress, encircling the boy’s thigh with a fixed hold and drawing it up higher on the bed.

The new angle allowed for something sharper, more precise when Harry took him again. Louis was deaf to his own screams and pleasured cries while he clawed at his lover’s back with blunt nails. Harry chose to savour being buried in his mate and grinded against Louis, inhaling sharply at the excess slick escaping their explicit union and dampening their thighs. He subconsciously brushes his thumb back and forth over the wetness on Louis’ skin.

Louis was chanting Harry’s name like a wicked mantra, starting to push against the Alpha’s torso when he gets an idea.

“What do you want, Omega?” Harry’s voice was strangled and in worship of Louis’ delicious form all splayed out for him. He loosens the tension in his muscles keeping himself upright and lets Louis shove him on his back.

“I want this.” Louis straddles Harry’s hips and lets his body envelope the Alpha’s nearly purpled length, sinking down to the last inch with a shaky exhale.

Harry forgets that Louis’ shirt is still keeping him from absolute contact with the submissive. He watches in wrapt awe when Louis starts rolling against him, his daintier paws settled on the Alpha’s heaving chest as he moves. There’s something about having Louis take what he wants from Harry that sets the Alpha’s instincts ablaze. He growls brokenly when he reaches over Louis’ flexing thighs to possessively capture the Omega’s derriere in his hands.

Their orgasms slam into them without an ounce of warning with simultaneous timing. Louis throws his head back with a ragged shout, their magnetised lower halves stilling when Harry’s knot inflates and locks Louis to him. His delightfully sultry Omega climaxes with him, clenching hellishly around Harry’s knot as his body is flooded with the Alpha’s seed.

Louis’ shirt hides their connected bodies and Harry fisted the front of it, pulling his mate down to him. Their kiss is sloppy but ardent and Harry uses the opportunity to yank the remaining article of clothing off Louis’ upper body. It happens to trigger something sentimental in the Omega because instead of returning to his self-acclaimed throne, Louis winds his arms around Harry’s neck and whimpers.

“Something wrong, darling?” Harry is almost ashamed of how breathless he sounds. He’s clinging to Louis as desperately as the boy is to him.

“Nah uh, Alpha.” Louis is smiling drunkenly when he rests his forehead on Harry’s.

The air in his lungs leave him in a rush when Harry sits upright and takes Louis with him. “Are you certain?”

“Aha.” Louis pecks the tip of Harry’s nose, still bursting with a renewed glow. He stutters at the sensation of his Alpha’s lips on his throat, dancing across his skin in a sequence of nibbles and nipping.

“I enjoy this mood of yours.” Harry’s hand has gravitated towards Louis’ belly where he informally checks on his pup.

“Our baby is fine, Alpha.” Louis assures the dominant, carelessly drawing patterns on Harry’s bulking shoulder where his cheeks rests.

“It must be comforting to our pup when we are this close.”

Louis giggles bashfully, trying not to move where they are joined when he sits back on his haunches. “I like when we’re this close too, you know.”

“As do I, Omega.”

At eighteen weeks since Louis’ first appointment with Dr Stephens, Harry and he are asked whether they’d like to learn the pup’s sex. The pair is eager to know and agree wholeheartedly within the first minute, so Dr Stephens returns to his desk where their file sat amongst others. He informed them that their firstborn will be male and most likely Alpha, as the Beta class is impossible for them and Omegas were much rarer.

Later that night, when neither Louis nor Harry could fall asleep, they were in the kitchen sharing a plate of eight pancakes with scarce syrup. The Omega had an epiphany at his fourth bite. “Harry!”

His Alpha was shocked out of his thoughts and relaxed posture against Louis’ leg. “Are you hurt? What’s the matter?”

“No, we have to think of names.” Louis informs him, gesturing to everything and nothing that is causing his panic with a fork still in his clutches. “Our pup needs a name, Alpha.”

“I agree.” Harry concedes, setting his chin on Louis’ thigh again. “Have you any suggestions, Omega?”

“Maybe.” Louis puts the pancakes down as his attention has been assuaged. He pulls the jacket he took from Harry’s side of the closet tighter around him. “I want him to have your middle name.”

“And I want him to have yours.” Harry disputes. “You are the Omega caring for my pup already and will bring them into this world. Regardless of who I am, our firstborn deserves to carry your name in return.”

*    *    *    *    *

The _honeymoon phase_ of Louis’ pregnancy expires upon the arrival of his sixth month. He finally has a distinguishable bump that stretches all his pants and shows through any shirt or sweater he uses. However, that achievement is speedily clouded over by his constant irritation, crankiness and discomfort.

Louis hated how his ankles swelled until not even two layers of Harry’s thick cotton socks could hide them. His own legs were the traitors that kept him from walking anywhere without whimpering at the pressure on his heels. The slightest movement would trigger severe agony at his spine or nape; Louis can’t remember the last time he went to the bathroom without tearing up along the way. Dr Stephens assured him that all these symptoms were common to all pregnant Omegas and the extent of his aid was prescribing Louis more vitamins.

Stretchmarks littered not only the base of his belly but his thighs and faintly at the crook of his shoulders; no matter what Harry said to him Louis had low points in his day during which he feared the Alpha’s revulsion at his excessive gained weight.

“Omega?” Harry is a brave dominant who survived many a circumstance which should have killed him, but none compare quite as eloquently to entering the bedroom with his ravenous mate.

Louis was propped up in bed with more than a dozen pillows surrounding him, braced against those parts of him which hurt the most. He had a tub of ice cream balanced on his hefty baby bump which he ate from with a spoon that didn’t comfortably fit into his mouth. It happened to be the faint redness and damp tracks on his Omega’s cheeks that had Harry rushing to his side.

“My poor darling.” Harry could only kneel at Louis’ bedside and brush away the stray tears with his thumbs. “What has upset you?”

“I want more pups.” Louis almost wails, fisting the front of Harry’s shirt in a desperate attempt to bring his Alpha closer. “Will you give me more pups?”

Harry blinked, significantly taken aback by Louis’ proclamation. “At this moment?”

 _“No.”_ Louis huffs with a mild degree of sass that Harry is too fond of to abolish. “But I want more babies, Alpha. We can’t have just one.”

“Alright, darling.” Harry sat on the edge of the mattress where he could clasp his mate’s hand and nuzzle the side of Louis’ throat affectionately. “So all this distress is not too much for my sweet Omega to handle?”

“No.” Louis’ voice was small, momentarily distracted from all the aches and pains. He giggles when Harry angles his head toward him for a modest kiss; there were sticky traces of chocolate still staining his lips that Harry licked off. “It’s all awful but it’s for our pup so it’s not that awful.”

Harry offered his companion a smug smile of approval and gratitude. It’s a relatively late hour in the day so the Alpha does not plan on returning to his study when the alternative is lying in bed beside his adorable mate and a tub of ice cream. He leaves Louis with a kiss on his forehead before departing for his shower, and he returns twenty minutes later adorning just underwear.

Louis seems to find some reprieve from having Harry indelicately draped over him; the Alpha’s arms frame both sides of his distended belly. He executes several kisses and nibbles on the taut skin specifically along the swollen veins that are visible through it. Harry never falls asleep without somehow saluting the growing life that are dependent on them for every facet of affection and care.

“I may desire more pups of our own as well, darling.” Harry hears himself confessing. “We could have a whole litter.”

*    *    *    *    *

When Louis first starts lactating he had just awoken from an unsatisfying nap. The piercing sensation at his chest that accompanied the release of milk had disturbed his dreams. He had long since given up wearing shirts because his nipples were too sensitive to be grazed by anything weightier than a breeze.

He hadn’t called for Harry or even experienced more than disorientation from his sleep being cut through, but the Alpha was suddenly in the room. Louis couldn’t explain his predicament well enough so he fell back onto his nest of plush things and gestured to his torso weakly, already out of breath. Harry helped Louis into the shower and volunteered wordlessly to wash his Omega rather than have the boy do it himself.

They were informed about the unpredictability of lactation and how it crept up on Omegas when they had almost forgotten about it. Fortunately, Harry retained much of Dr Stephens told them at their last appointment.

“We have to relieve the pressure.” The Alpha stated once Louis was tucked into bed again in a preferred position. “How do you want to express the milk?”

Louis was exhausted and miserable; he gazed blearily up at his dominant. “I don’t want to waste my pup’s milk.”

“You won’t be wasting your pup’s milk.” Harry reassures, trailing his knuckles limply over Louis’ protruding belly button. “Let me take care of you, darling.”

“I don’t know.” Louis simpered. “It’s itchy and _uncomfortable_ but I don’t know what to do-”

“Shh.” Harry placates his emotional mate with gentle strokes over his hip and down his arm. “Lie back, darling. Let me do this for you.”

At first, Louis doesn’t know what Harry implied by professing that. He obeys nonetheless and gets comfortable in the safety of his nest while Harry shuts the bedroom door.

It was a splendid surprise to have Harry crawl up the length of his body and settles down in a way that conveniences Louis. The Omega was pointedly embarrassed when Harry’s insinuation comes to life and Louis hides behind his own hands when the Alpha’s lips wrap around his right nipple.

The act not only satisfied Louis’ concerns for not wasting the milk intended for his pup, but seemed to offer Harry some kind of irreversible comfort. For two weeks, the Alpha would curl around his mate and nurse from him if only to provide Louis with some relief. He had gone so far as to question Dr Stephens on his own impulse towards nursing only to be reassured that, much like every other aspect of this pregnancy, the act is seen as one of commitment to his nest.

*    *    *    *    *

As a male Omega, Louis’ water would not break. He had no more than excruciating contractions to go on, and the first one woke him from a deep sleep with an aggrieved cry. Harry sat up, not needing any light to find his mate in the pitch blackness and realise what this is. It was a pulse, the birth of something more vulnerable yet distinct in their Bond as an indication of their pup’s arrival.

“Easy, Omega.” Harry first had to calm Louis by holding him flush against his chest, wincing at the boy’s shriek from a second wave of agony. “Our pup is ready to meet you, darling. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am about 80% certain there'll be another chapter to welcome the baby, I've already begun working on it so it should be done by tomorrow. I've updated about 3 of my other works that were originally one-shots so I please, please check that out. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter if you feel up to it. Lastly, yes I do love the new Fionn/Harry bromance o.O


	9. IX

Aryan William Styles was born in late October with opalescent azure eyes and deep chocolate brown locks which promised to turn frizzy with time. The newest member to Harry and Louis’ nest weighed three point six kilograms when he first arrived and carried his mass in wailing as a result of being thrust out from where he was warm and safe.

Louis had chosen his pup’s name from Indian lineage and understood its meaning to be a nobleman or master. He adores his sweet little pup even through the earliest weeks of his coming when all Aryan needed was feeding, cleaning and hopeless attention. He was the first to indulge his baby’s desires even if deprived him of sleep and many a time Harry had to put him back to sleep so he could handle their baby.

Aryan slept in their bedroom because despite their being a readied nursery, Louis couldn’t claim a stitch of sleep when he was worried about his pup’s wellbeing so far away. Some night either Harry or Louis would fall under with Aryan bundled up between them on the bed. Louis loathed using a bottle on Aryan but it also meant that the latter won’t be eating as much if he continues to nurse directly, so he obliges.

A heartbeat and familiar scent is what Aryan needed to fall asleep or he’d be squirming and fussing all day, so at any given moment one of his parents had to rock him to sleep. Even when he took milk from a bottle, Louis had to be cradling Aryan or the pup would refuse to eat at all. Dr Stephens warned them against using an instrument to clip Aryan’s nails so Harry has the newfound duty of using his teeth to accomplish the task.

Unlike the announcement of his pregnancy to the pack, Louis could be in the gathering room when Harry got to show their pup off to their wolves. It had to be done four weeks after Aryan’s birth and while Louis was reluctant to have his month-old pup shown to a room of over a hundred pack members, he was eager to get it over with. Harry was careful when taking the little one from his mate and allowing all his wolves to have a look. The pride swelled in his chest when Aryan blinked up at him, followed by a muffled yawn, as he took in his father looming over him protectively.

Harry could not deny his wolves when they asked to bring gifts for their pack Alpha’s heir, mainly because he could barely hear their words over the attention of his pup. Aryan wriggled in his folded blanket against Harry’s torso, his tiny lips stretching in the threat of a whimper. All was silenced when Harry propped Aryan against his shoulder with a hand securing his bottom and nape.

“Hi baby.” Louis cooed when Harry returned to him, angling his stance a bit so Louis could talk to a rarely conscious Aryan. “Did your Daddy take care of you out there, huh?”

Harry was smiling when he kisses Aryan’s chubby cheek. “He is far too independent already.”

“He better not be.” Louis pressed his lips to Aryan’s flattened palm. “He’s going to stay my little baby forever.”

Tributes for Aryan and his parents began arriving the next day. With a newborn around, the packhouse is now off limits to anyone besides who Harry approves of – which coincidentally happens to be none of their wolves. All the presents are left at their doorstep for Harry to fetch in the mornings and avoid the inquisitive gazes of every pack member trying to peer past him.

With Aryan asleep for seventeen out of the twenty-four hours in a day, Louis gets to carry his two month old around their home or risk the baby waking up. He learns to get everything done that he has to with Aryan strapped to his chest, except when he strolls into Harry’s study and hands the dozing infant over to his Alpha.

“Come here, Omega.” Harry was thoroughly skilled in balancing a sleeping pup in his right arm while maintaining the other around Louis’ waist. “Your Alpha misses you.”

“Does he?” Louis curls up on Harry’s lap whilst mindful of Aryan.

His mate gave Louis a kiss squarely on his forehead. “I treasure your pregnancy and the pup it awarded me, but I do long for your sole company at times.”

Louis empathised with his Alpha; for so long it was just the two of them occupying their vast home but now there’s delightful infant to welcome as well. It’s a drastic adjustment no matter how fond they are of Aryan. “Soon perhaps, Alpha. This little one demands all of our attention for now.”

At three months old all the company Aryan desires is that of his mother. He sleeps only when he’s tucked into Louis’ warm, scented embrace and eats only if he can nurse from the Omega. It troubled Louis to have his baby totally neglect Harry but also abandoning any development that was aside from his presence. Louis did not want his pup to become fatally dependant but any attempt at remedying the situation ended in Aryan screeching with tears rolling down his reddened cheeks.

“You must leave him be, Omega.” Harry walked out of the bathroom with low-hanging sweatpants and sat on the bed next to his mate.

Louis sighed tiredly where he was playing with Aryan. His pup was on his back treating Louis’ fingers like plush toys and something to be put into his toothless mouth. “I love him so much but he can’t become this reliant on me.”

“He is Alpha, little one.” Harry let Louis lean into him and wrapped an arm around the Omega’s shoulders. “As a dominant, he certainly would prefer his mother.”

“You’re saying that he sees you as a threat?” Louis licks his lips, frowning at the way Aryan’s behaviour becomes more restless. “How can that be? You’re his father.”

“I am an older, stronger Alpha and while he develops that’s all he can see.” Harry explains calmly with a smirk. “Kiss me.”

“What?” Louis stared at his mate, wide-eyed.

Harry quirks an eyebrow in mocking interrogation. “Something wrong, darling?”

“No.” Louis let his lips meet Harry’s and faintly tastes the crisp mint of his toothpaste. He’s about to withdraw when the sound of their pup wriggling in a fury of upset catches his eye; Aryan is staring at them with as much of an objection as he can muster with his immature higher thoughts. “Oh my God.”

*    *    *    *    *

Aryan is six months old when Louis starts feeling the slightest bit at ease with letting his pup sleep in the nursery. Every day he brings Aryan into Harry’s study where a soft mat and miscellaneous toys are permanently laid out for the pup’s playtime. Louis sat at one corner with his legs crossed and encouraged Aryan to crawl towards him; the distances grew over time and his pup sustained an excellent record of physical keep.

“Your Daddy is out for the day.” Louis told his son while Aryan flung his toys around or tried putting them in his mouth. “He’s gotten so used to being at home that he doesn’t want to leave even for work.”

Aryan babbled some incomprehensible nonsense with spit bubbling at his lips. He patted Louis’ thigh for attention and was pleased when his mother picked him up off the blanket.

“Are you hungry?” Louis had tried putting Aryan in clothes for the day but his pup fussed and fidgeted until he was undressed. Since that first attempt, Louis left Aryan to roll around in just a diaper.

Coupling his son’s tendency towards nudity with his astonishing progress in physical activity, made Louis lean towards Aryan being an Alpha. Not to mention the one instance in which Aryan hit his father, albeit with mediocre childish strength, when Harry kissed Louis in the same room as him. That territorial display was enough to gratify Harry’s inner Alpha in learning that his pup is going to be a competent dominant.

“Let’s go get a snack.” Louis cradled Aryan against his shoulder before getting to his feet and leaving the room.

While he’s preparing a simple peanut butter and jam sandwich with Aryan making numerous curious sounds from his cushioned bouncer on the counter. Louis has to keep him from leaning too far out of his seat twice while he feeds himself one half of his sandwich. Having his pup want to lunge at him is flattering but Louis has to make sure his kisses and affectionate nuzzles suffice while he eats.

The frontdoor opens to let Harry in but he is not alone by the sound of two other voices following him inside. Louis’ Alpha was not expecting his family to be downstairs when he returned and the surprise flickered across his expression upon spotting both members of his nest. Harry was quick to slam the door on whomever it was that threatened to walk in behind him, locking it just for safety.

“Who was that?” Louis asks, highly amused. “I hope you didn’t scare them.”

Harry growled in disapproval of Louis’ concern for unimportant others. He came to his mate and enveloped him in a hug, indicative of his possessiveness and relief at being home. Louis hums at his dominant’s familiar scent as it encased him like a disembodied pair of arms. To their right, Aryan is rocking his bouncer impatiently in his pursuit of attention.

“I think your pup wants to say hello.” Louis smiles at Harry’s endearing kiss on his forehead.

“Where did all this energy come from?” Harry picked Aryan up and secured the pup against the crook of his arm. He nibbles on his son’s bare fingers and presses his lips to Aryan’s little bloated tummy.

Aryan has just warmed up to his father again after learning through lengthy exposure to the Alpha that Harry is no threat to his mother or him.

Louis finishes up his snack and rinses off the cutlery he’d used. “Do you want something to eat? There’s some roast chicken left from last night.”

“If you don’t mind.” Harry sits at the kitchen island whilst entertaining Aryan in his fit of edginess; he has to keep the pup from chewing on his rings or chain multiple times but that results in sacrificing his hair which Aryan leaves spit all over. “Omega, we may have a problem.”

“What do you mean?” Louis is shredding spiced chicken onto a plate to make Harry a sandwich. “Is something wrong with the pack?”

“Not the pack, no.” Harry brushed his thumbs over the soles of Aryan’s feet. “The Council will be visiting us in the coming days to meet this little one.”

His mate stared at him. “Why?”

“This is my firstborn.” Harry replies. “They wrote to me today. Apparently, they want to gift Aryan something as he is my heir.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Louis slides the plate of four unsliced sandwiches across to his Alpha before dusting his hands free of crumbs. “I don’t want my pup around them, Harry.”

“I am sorry, Omega, but this is better if we see it through.”

*    *    *    *    *

Louis regretfully has to send Angelica away from the pack for the duration of the Council’s visit, forcing Daniel and Niall to go with her so the Omega had some kind of protection. He lets Harry go early in the morning to retrieve the arriving Council so they can be welcomed into their territory with a greatly accomplished escort.

There are six Alphas on the Council; Harry is one of the three males and Louis hasn’t been acquainted with any of the others. He has Aryan dressed – against the pup’s wishes – and asleep peacefully when Harry returns. Additionally, Louis informed his dominant that he has no intention of putting on a show for the visiting Alphas, so he’s almost asleep with Aryan tucked into his arms when they walk into his home.

Harry comes to brush Louis’ hair back and smile affectionately when the Omega comes to. He introduces his mate to his companions with a purposefully hushed voice since Aryan is sensitive to any sound disturbing his sleep. Louis frowns uncertainly when Harry draws a corner of Aryan’s blanket back so the pup’s snoozing visage is exposed to the Council.

In spite of all Louis’ doubts, Harry remains unyielding in his warning to stay several meters away from his vulnerable family. He is far from the oldest member of the Council or the most powerful but Harry valiantly puts himself between five other dominants to keep his mate and pup safe.

“We congratulate you, Omega Louis.” One of the female Alphas, Catherine, commends him with a subtle smile.

Alaric, another intruder to their home but an Alpha who Harry trusts, decides to speak. “Your Alpha is the final one from amongst us to become a father. It is a pleasant eventuality.”

Louis listens to their words of approval, encouragement and gratitude for some time but nothing could have seemed more tedious. The lacking sincerity is nauseating from all the foreign individuals in his home except for Harry’s two reliable allies who are the ones who have come with gifts. When they bring in their Betas who carried the presents for Harry’s nest, Louis feels some of the tension melt away. Aryan does not awaken thankfully during the semi-awkward exchange of gifts.

“This-” Alaric, the Alpha who inherited one of the packs Harry earned when he defeated Viktor, was removing the chain from around his neck. “-is something a little more personal for him.”

Harry must recognise some symbol or trophy in the pendant because he objects instantly. “That is not necessary, Alaric.”

“With all due respect, friend, this gift is for Aryan.” Alaric drops the shimmery necklace onto the coffee table when Harry refuses to open his hand. “A child is a blessing, Omega Louis, and I hope you continue treasuring this one.”

An hour later in the day when Louis finally has Harry alone again with Aryan dreaming contentedly in his bassinette, he gets to ask about the meaning of Alaric’s chain. The item of jewellery has been taken by Harry and fastened to one of the wooden posts in Aryan’s cradle. From what Louis inspected, the sterling silver pendant was of a galloping stallion.

“The stallion is the emblem for Alaric’s house, his bloodline.” Harry explains bitterly; he puzzles Louis with this turn of moods. “He has offered his alliance already to Aryan for when he should need it.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with that.” Louis rested all his weight on Harry’s side, reaching up to neaten some of the freshly washed curls. “Our baby has an ally.”

“An Alpha has to earn his friends.” Harry leaned into Louis’ touch with a frustrated groan.

“Oh dear. I know what this is.” Louis is pouting at his uptight mate when he climbs onto Harry’s towel-clad lap. “You’re jealous that nobody gave you free stuff.”

Harry stares at Louis, unimpressed and no less overwrought. “Perhaps I should put you to sleep now, darling.”

“Harry.” Louis did not move from his perch and framed the man’s face in his palms. “Our baby will not grow up to be an entitled Alpha. He’s going to follow in his Daddy’s footsteps and do what makes him happy.”

“Omega.” Harry breathed, closing his eyes as he dragged Louis closer by his hips. “Aryan is going to make you _so proud_ , darling. He’s going to be a finer Alpha than I ever was.”

“Excuse me.” Louis laced his fingers together at Harry’s nape, quivering when his mate nips at a sensitive spot below his ear. “I’ll have you know that I am quite proud of my Alpha.”

Louis bursts into giggles when Harry hauls him off his lap and drops him onto the mattress. He has Harry’s mouth on his before he can adjust anything about the position he lands in, moaning breathily against the Alpha’s lips as the kiss deepens.

“Maybe-” Louis gasps at being cloaked by Harry’s broader frame, heat rising to his cheeks. “Maybe I love him too.”

Harry doesn’t react in any way that Louis anticipated. The dominant tilts his head forward to rest against Louis’, his gaze scorching when it peered into the Omega’s baby blues. His tongue darted out and across the seam of Louis’ cherry lips, drawing a little mewl from his victim. “Oh darling, do I love you. The word holds a poor candle to what I feel for you.”

*    *    *    *    *

The next morning, Louis was placing the milk carton back in the refrigerator when he was grabbed from behind and swung around ceremoniously. He squealed shamelessly at the abrupt attack until his assailant turned out to be Harry.

“What was that for?” Louis panted with a rabbiting heartbeat; his thighs are clasped by his Alpha and he is caught off-guard once more by pair of swollen bubblegum lips landing on his.

“I love you.” Is all Harry says in the midst of their kiss. “I wanted to tell you much earlier than this but you weren’t there when I woke up.”

Louis waited to justify himself, glowing with the praise. “I love you too, Alpha.”

Harry hoists his lover a little higher on his abdomen, a twitch at the corner of his mouth. To interrupt what he planned to say was Aryan’s drowsy sniffling from a level above them. Louis gave his Alpha a quick peck between his brows before he was lowered to the ground.

“Bring my pup downstairs please.” The Omega casually instructs as he returns to preparing breakfast for them.

Louis got out a bowl of apricot puree he’d prepared an hour ago for Aryan along with half a dozen eggs. He had just taught Harry to make an array of foods that were aside from his phenomenal pancakes so the Alpha could take his turn being in charge of the kitchen. When Harry returns he is carrying a sniffling Aryan with him, and the pup reaches out instantly for Louis when his mother comes into view.

“Good morning to you too.” Louis takes Aryan from Harry and situates the six month old on his hip. He sympathises with his son’s indecipherable babbling that all hint at his hunger. “Don’t worry, little love. I’ll get you some num-num.”

From where he’s cracking eggs into a frying pan, Harry remembers that he meant to bring something up with Louis. He has much to do in the pack today with an unfortunate mishap that led to twelve injuries during the last hunt but the Alpha is purposely delaying the moment he has to leave his nest.

“I do wish you wouldn’t indulge Aryan so much.” Harry says without emphasis.

Louis is feeding Aryan spoonfuls of mashed apricot while gently rocking the pup in his bouncer. “He’s my baby, Harry. Of course I’m going to indulge him.”

His Alpha turns to him with plated scrambled eggs. “Aryan is growing up to be my successor, the future leader of this pack. He cannot have his parents treating him like he’s incompetent.”

Sometimes Louis pities Harry and the background which thrust him into his power today. His Alpha has known the less savoury and more treacherous planes of life for as long as he’s been exposed to it, and that dictates Harry’s input on any topic. Louis beckons Harry from the other side of the tabletop with a curl of his finger.

He puts Aryan’s little paw in Harry’s grasp, blindsided by the endearing size difference between his pup and dominant. “Look at your baby boy, Alpha. Do you think it’s easy saying no to him?”

“I can’t imagine that it is.” Harry sighs in mild exasperation, smiling fondly at his rapt mate. “Forgive me for my comment, Omega.”

Louis shakes his head to dismiss the solemnity of Harry’s disposition before lightly pecking the Alpha’s bare bicep. “Aryan is our little prince and when the time comes, he will make us very proud. I know he will.”

*    *    *    *    *

“Wait, Niall. You have to tell me more.” Louis pleaded with his best friend not to leave so soon. He is standing at the only window in the packhouse kitchen with Aryan dozing against his shoulder, little fists curled into Louis’ shirt and his pouted rosy lips were letting out slight silvery trails.

The Omega standing nervously outside sighed in exasperation at Louis’ insistence. None of the pack business should be a real burden to him for the time being as Louis has an eight month old to fawn over. “Lou, there’s nothing more to tell.”

“I don’t believe you.” The pack Omega disputes, wiping more of the faint drool off his pup’s lips. “How’s Angelica?”

“She’s fine. Her baby’s name is Xander.” Niall says with hints of his own smile; everyone who has gotten a chance to be little Xander’s company has left infatuated. “I can’t believe Aryan isn’t allowed out into the pack yet.”

“I know but it’s for his safety, and it’s tradition apparently because Aryan is Alpha.” Louis adjusted the sleeping pup’s arrangement, securing the fleece blanket over him. “Harry has the keenest sense of smell with Aryan so I can’t take him outside even when Harry isn’t around.”

 “That’s a shame.” Niall crosses his arms on the window pane, smiling warmly at the sleeping wolf. “Anyway, if Harry catches me here I’m dead so I have to go.”

“He won’t do anything of the sort, Ni. I won’t let him.” Louis understood Harry’s protectiveness towards their nest and respected the boundaries of his mate’s attitude because none of it could be poorly rooted.

“Bye, Lou.” Niall blows his friend a kiss before scampering off towards his cabin.

Louis shuts the window to keep out the frosty wind that’s starting to pick up speed, and retreats to his bedroom upstairs. Aryan releases him fairly easily without protest like so many times before, and Louis tucks him into a cradle of pillows in order for him to take a shower. It has been far too long since Louis got to have a long, steaming shower without interruption from Harry or Aryan’s crying. He takes his time in washing off everything that suggests fatigue or grime from being at his pup’s mercy all day.

Harry must have come home sometime during Louis’ shower; there’s a muffled yawn from Aryan when the Alpha checks on him before entering the bathroom. He leaves the door agape while he strips off his jewellery and clothing, stepping under the spray of blistering water behind Louis. The Omega knows he’s there but doesn’t do more in acknowledgement of his mate besides letting Harry crowd him.

“Hi.” Louis reaches back for balance and to clasp Harry’s nape.

An unhindered growl emanates from the dominant when Harry squeezes Louis’ hips, revelling in the lush skin. “Hello darling.”

Idle chatting morphs into something a lot more heated, as predicted, when Louis draws the Alpha closer to him and arches back into him. Harry takes Louis against the glass panes guarding the shower’s confines, grunting and moaning incessantly with the unparalleled pleasure of being sheathed in his mate. Louis is warm and dripping slick like a visualisation of Harry’s darkest desires.

Their Bond flares with the physical reconnection of their bodies after months of being separated by duty and responsitibility. Harry groans regretfully into Louis’ neck when he realises that he won’t be able to knot the Omega, so he pivots his hips animalistically until they’re at the very edge before pulling out. Louis shudders when he climaxes in tandem with Harry, biting down on the Alpha’s forearm to keep from screaming.

Harry releases across Louis’ belly and thighs but his knot has to be buried in the Omega’s clenching body to last, so it deflates much sooner than before. Louis pities his Alpha and apologetically kisses the man, throwing his arms around Harry’s neck to commit.

“I love you.” He mumbles drunkenly on knees of jelly.

“Hmm.” Harry allows his hands to slip lower down on Louis’ petite frame, stopping to grip the boy’s posterior without shame. Much about Louis’ body has changed as a result of Aryan’s birth and Harry _adored_ every single alteration. “I love you, darling.”

*    *    *    *    *

Convincing Harry to take Aryan on his first run is nothing Louis thought would be effortless. He expected the Alpha to unleash a raving argument before denying him at least twice, but Louis was astounded by the man’s willingness.

“What?” He stuttered after hearing Harry’s agreement.

The Alpha was playing with Aryan on the floor for a change while Louis sorted through some old documents for him. Harry couldn’t be present for the Council meeting tomorrow so he had been informed of the agenda so he could write to the Council with any input he might have. Louis hadn’t showered in peace just the day before because Harry walked in on him with a quiet appeal for advice.

“Aryan is a year old now.” Harry states amidst the youngest wolf’s persistent babbling to speak above his father. “He needs to exercise his wolf.”

Customarily, parents encouraged their pups to switch forms at an early age so they weren’t estranged to their wolves. Louis is thrilled that Harry will finally let poor Aryan see something beyond the walls of their home, and just barely kept from abandoning his current work to get their pup ready. Harry can see the restlessness in his Omega’s posture and his fidgetiness as he tries to remain focused, smirking wickedly in silence.

Harry kisses his pup’s cheeks, unbothered by the drying spit left on his shoulders when Aryan tried to reciprocate. He often conversed with his engaging son but none of the sounds he heard in return could be interpreted as words. Aryan wobbled in his footing where he stood clutching Harry’s pant leg without an inch of balance if his father let go of him.

Two hours later Harry is waiting for Louis to straighten Aryan’s shirt and gently rock the pup into some semblance of calm. Aryan started fussing the instant he had to put clothes on and if Louis dared to let go of him, his son screeched with horrific displeasure. If he was forced to wear clothes then he isn’t doing anything besides seeking comfort from his mother.

“Perhaps it will be wiser if he changes here, at home.” Harry finally concludes. “Aryan feels safest here as it is.”

It takes over an hour to coax anything from their pup, well after Louis begins to worry that Aryan can’t even sense his wolf within. Harry is persistent though and determined, as if he is experienced in the art of bringing first-time wolves to the surface. He sits on the ground, matching Aryan in wearing nothing except his obscene grey briefs, and _talks._ Louis can put his head on the block and say he’s never witnessed his Alpha being so communicative over things that matter very little. Harry discusses anything from breakfast in the morning to the itinerary for most of his busy days, and although it begins as a meaningless monologue Louis thinks there’s a sharp prickle along his skin induced by the Alpha’s rough timbre.

Something amongst all those words prompts Aryan’s wolf into emerging and Louis hears the first cry from his pup with terrifying attentiveness. Harry stops him from approaching as soon as Louis takes his first step, and goes on talking in a monotonous speech until Aryan is rolling on the floor, screaming with hot tears spilling over his cheeks. It all suddenly ends and Louis can uncover his face from where he was holding himself back; he had to trust that Harry would take care of their pup through this transition.

Aryan’s wolf if light grey with soft snowy paws and a matching snout. He yapped timidly at his own new suit of skin, immediately toppling over when he tried to stand.

“How-” Louis crawled over to where his mate and pup were, scooping up the latter in his arms and pressing kisses all over Aryan’s fur. “How did you do that?”

“It is a pack Alpha’s duty to bring in every new wolf.” Harry merely answers. He stands from the floor. “He needs to run.”

They take Aryan as far as they can but still remain within pack territory. When they exited the packhouse nearly all of their surrounding wolves wanted a peak at the little pup Louis had carefully gripped between his jaws. Harry had growled so threateningly at all of the familiar faces that they retreated immediately, but not timeously enough for their pack leader circled around Louis before nudging him onward quicker. The Omega wished he could apologise for Harry’s callous approach but he understood the weight of protectiveness now that Aryan is outdoors, exposed to this heinous world.

Aryan could not feed on his first run or even do more than stumble around the meadow his parents brought him to. Louis made himself accessible by lying on the lush grass amidst vibrant flowers while his pup tripped over his own footing. Harry might have brought them a stag had he not been halted by his Omega; Louis wanted him to remain with them in the meadow because this is Aryan’s first time at the mercy of nature and their pup needed them both present.

Harry sat beside his mate while Aryan rolled around on the grass, getting his coat of ashen fur stained with lime-green patches. The Alpha allowed Louis to lean against him as he lounges under the lowering sun, lazily dragging his tongue across his Omega’s throat. Louis decides his son’s playtime should be cut short after Aryan’s tumbles became too frequent. He gets to his feet in time for Aryan to rush over, rolling to his back beneath his mother for attention and approval.

Louis leans down to nuzzle the side of Aryan’s snout, licking some of the discoloured fur clean briefly before Harry bends over and picks the wriggling pup up by his nape. The evening is about to be plunged into darkness and neither adult wanted the most naïve of them to be outside when it was.

*    *    *    *    *

Aryan’s first steps took Louis by surprise and left the Omega in tears at realising that his baby is already growing up to be a resilient, capable Alpha. Harry was not at home when it happened but as soon as he walked through the door, Louis showed off their son’s latest accomplishment. The dominant was less visibly emotional about his pride towards Aryan’s development but no less sincere at heart. He picked Aryan up off the blanket and rewarded the pup with a kiss on his cheek, beaming furthermore with egotism when Aryan makes as much of a growl as his lungs can produce.

“Stop that.” Louis reprimanded his mate and blocked Aryan’s ears. “No growling yet.”

Harry smirked amusedly at his sensitive Omega. “He will learn to growl whether I teach him or not.”

“I don’t care.” Louis snapped, winking at Aryan when the pup made a curious sound and leaned towards him. “He’s not going to learn how to intimidate people so soon.”

“It’s not intimidation, darling.” Harry curled an arm around Louis’ hips and dragged him closer. “He will know how to protect this nest as well as cherish it.”

Louis’ forehead rested on Harry’s pectoral, listening to the Alpha’s heartbeat while he played with Aryan’s chubby fingers. “Protect? I don’t think so, Alpha.”

“Oh?” Harry taunted. “That ought to be just my duty, then?”

“Definitely.” His Omega nipped at Harry’s collarbone. “He’s going to be the pup in this nest no matter how old he is and how often he’s taken you down.”

Harry pressed his lips to Louis’ temple, smiling unknowingly against the Omega’s sweet scent. “I have no doubt he will be able to defeat me when I’d rather lose than harm him in defence.”

“Don’t worry. Aryan is not going to betray his father that way.” Louis playfully nibbled on the wide awake pup’s curled knuckles.

“He will learn all his manners and loyalties from you.” Harry whispers, holding his family impossibly close. “Thank you for giving me a most beautiful son, darling. You honour me every day of my life by being my mate.”

“Oh Harry.” The blindsided Omega turned to cup Harry’s face in his hands, bringing the Alpha down to him. He leaves a delicate caress of his lips on Harry’s, blushing wildly when the dominant makes an ardent grumble in return. “We were brought together for a reason. You’re my Alpha because you are the only one for me, the only one I would bother to spend my life with.”

“I have been a monster to you.” Harry’s cold fingers fanned out across the dip between Louis’ shoulderblades, squeezing his eyes shut as if he could keep the horror of his treatment towards this delightful creature at bay. “There is no reprieve from that.”

“There is. Harry, I forgave you a long time ago.” Louis is earnest in his stare, welcoming the intensity of Harry’s gaze on him. He cracks a gentle smile. “This is our future to do with as we please. The past is behind us, where it belongs.”

*    *    *    *    *

Aryan grows to the firstborn pride of his mother and father, but although he is one of their greatest accomplishments he is not alone in the category. Two years after his birth, Louis finds himself bringing a set of beautiful baby girls into the world; they are both Alpha and become their older brother’s fascination for many months. Aryan sleeps in the same room as them or doesn’t sleep at all. He refuses to eat until his little sisters have fed to their full and when they’re old enough for play, spends a few hours a day in their babbling company.

Louis gets his precious little Omega son when the twins are a year old and Aryan is three. Sanhaa and Sonaya are completely indifferent to the new arrival that is evidently frailer and needier than them, while Aryan seems to tackle the honour of being the eldest brother with grace. At an elegant age of three, the Alpha boy sleeps in Louis’ bed after the final Styles baby is born as if he personally has to assure his mother’s health. At night, there’s never any space for Harry to take up if he isn’t willing to accommodate one of his princesses on his chest. Louis’ nest becomes their family’s sanctuary and he doesn’t have a single complaint about it.

Twice more does Harry have to take their pups on their first runs through the woods and it’s significantly more strenuous knowing there are four little ones to look after rather than one. He savours every minute of it even though Aryan never once wavers from Louis’ side where the Omega laid in the meadow on his back, eyes closed peacefully. Omegas are gorgeous, wondrous creatures that can mother the young of their wolf species and not suffer the pains of a poor recovery afterwards. They remained as beautiful as they are meant to without strain, which made Harry all the more grateful to ever have earned such a lovely mate.

Aryan stretches out in his wolf form between his mother’s front paws, yawning and rolling about for attention that he wanted to be offered. Of course Louis indulged his little one by leaning down and dragging his tongue over Aryan’s belly or stump of a tail in neat strokes, incidentally calling to all his babies when he started cleaning just one of them.

His youngest, Alyxander Edward, remained with his father who he was still uncertain around. As an Omega, Alyx sought to be comforted and nurtured by someone with a similarly delicate nature as himself which kept him from feeling all that safe around Harry. Louis needed his baby to know that however outwardly the Alpha appeared to be, Harry is still his father and would never do anything to jeopardise the pup’s happiness.

Alyx was visibly uneasy in Harry’s paws initially as he is the youngest among them and mewled relentlessly every time the Alpha kept him from rolling away. Harry cleans Alyxander and brings back the little Omega a treat in the form of a squirming snow white; he should have known the pup will choose note to kill it and rather keep the creature as a pet. The following result was Louis informing him that not just one of their pups can have a pet, so Harry brings back three more dainty creatures from the woods.

His home is now overrun with his semi-naked offspring who will rather wail without end than put on more than a diaper, and the bunnies they’re coupled with.

“Darling?” Harry walks into the kitchen with Sonaya and Sanhaa hanging off him each in a fit of giggles as they quite enjoy the new vantage point their towering Alpha father provided.

“Hmm?” Louis had Aryan helping prepare dinner. His eldest son has been nothing but angelic in his consideration of Louis’ daily tasks.

Harry secured both his twin girls in his arms before moving again, keeping them propped up with an arm under their fragile weights. Sonaya was falling asleep in that position, her head resting on Harry’s bare shoulder. “These two have asked me to let them sleep in Alyx’s crib tonight.”

“Again?” Louis adored the closeness of their nest but the mother and thus leading parental figure, he had to say no sometimes.

His little girls never mean to disrupt their brother’s sleep or cause him any amount of discomfort, but Alyxander is many months younger than they are and thus in need of more peace. Alyxander slept only on his mother’s chest or when Louis was near enough to him for some kind of physical contact, but it was much too early to allow the pup into his siblings’ sole company.

“I’m sorry, my loves.” Louis gave his daughters’ kisses as consolation. “Baby Alyx needs a lot more sleep than you do and he needs to have it on his own for now.”

As it was, the Omega pup was dozing in his cushioned bouncer without a thing to disturb him. His girls had been subdued with the promise of pancakes from their father, and returned with him to his study. Louis can’t imagine Harry actually getting any of the constructive work done that he ought to for the rest of the day.

At dinner, Aryan sits on his mother’s lap while their family gathers for a shared meal. Sanhaa and Sonaya are still chasing after their father for his attention so Harry keeps them perched on his lap, feeding them from his plate in between their animated conversation. Louis watched his daughters distractedly eat from their father’s hand while trying to remain in a vivid interaction about their day.

He smiled to himself in excessive fondness, glancing at Alyxander’s dozing form before returning to Aryan. Their eldest ate from his own plate but that didn’t mean he would ever refrain from lounging on his mother’s lap where he could rest back against Louis’ chest between bites.

“Mama?” Aryan leans into Louis’ embrace, burying his face in the Omega’s neck where Harry’s mating scar rested. The healed mark on Louis’ throat seemed to offer unspoken solace to their pups, almost as if the reminder of their parents’ mating soothed them unknowingly.

“Yes baby?” Louis kissed his son’s forehead, securing his arm around Aryan’s waist.

His oldest son all but launches himself at him, throwing his arms around Louis’ neck now that he’s done with his food. “Mama, read to us.”

“Later, my sweet. Just before bedtime.” Louis reassures him, just like he has for most nights in the past month. “Isn’t it Papa’s turn to read to you?”

“Yeah.” Aryan didn’t sound entirely convinced.

Aryan hides his dissatisfaction at that response by clutching Louis tighter, breathing in a huff. Eventually he has to bathe and because his little brother is too young, Aryan has to have his bath alone while his sisters share the tub when it’s their turn.

Baby Alyxander sleeps in his nursery because after two pregnancies, Louis and Harry are confident in their ability to know if their youngest pup will need him. The twins and Aryan sleep in the latter’s bedroom despite the fact that they had independent rooms; Aryan had a persistent need to sleep with his siblings in the room. Harry explained to his mate that as an Alpha, Aryan wanted to impose his protection on his sisters and brother even if the entire circumstance was his illusion.

“Hello there, Mama.” Louis just exited the shower at an hour that’s delayed and Harry’s arms capture his hips securely. He was too late because Louis was already dressed and getting into bed.

The Omega had an exasperated partiality to his mate’s habit of addressing him as their pups do, recognising him as the mother to his pups. He giggles when Harry nearly tackled him onto the mattress, swaying under the Alpha’s weight.

“Hi Alpha.” Louis got under the covers but not without his mate to crawl in after him. He sighed contentedly when he settled down against Harry’s torso, listening to his mate’s thundering pulse while Harry wound both arms around him. “Are my babies asleep?”

“They are.” Harry kissed the top of Louis’ head. “Aryan did not seem bothered by me replacing you as his bedtime story narrator.”

Louis hummed, ending in a shudder when Harry grasped his thigh and hiked it over his hip. “He loves being read to. Doesn’t matter who it is.”

“Our little girls seem to be going through a phase where nothing exhausts them.” Harry mentions, lazily stroking the arch of Louis’ spine.

Luckily, they’ve been exposed to Sonaya and Sanhaa’s behaviour for much too long and knew that to subdue them, the twins had to be rocked gently as if they are still infants. Louis rolls onto his back so he can indulge in the plushness of his pillow while Harry followed suit; the Alpha rested his head on his Omega’s belly. It’s been the home of his pups for many months and he loved paying it tribute.

“Did you put the bunnies in bed with them?” Louis’ tone was unreadable but Harry would be a fool if he didn’t know that the Omega despised having those creatures on the bed. His pups loved their pets but the latter isn’t allowed, on principle, onto any surface that they utilise daily.

“They’re in their basket by the window, darling.” Harry reassures him. “You worry much too often, Mama.”

“This is my nest to look after, you know.”

Harry was doing a poor job of disguising his self-indulgent smirk against the skin of Louis’ belly. “Oh I remember. You put me to shame as the protector of this family.”

“That’s not true, Papa.” Louis replies truthfully. “I need you to protect this nest and take our babies out on little hunts when they want to go with their father.”

“I will be here every day of my life to serve you all as devotedly as I can.” Harry vows earnestly, burying his face in Louis’ lush front with a low growl. His Omega’s scent rolls over him with comforting familiarity and the unyielding traces of his own scent permanently attached to Louis’ finally coming forth.

*    *    *    *    *

With four pups in their nest and other members of the pack often visiting the lower level of the packhouse for some sort of occupation, there was never any time for Harry and Louis to have their own company, let alone be intimate. Louis often finds himself questioning how he ever managed to fall pregnant after Aryan came into their lives, but is exceedingly grateful that he got to expand their family anyway.

Harry had woken up earlier than Louis as is customary but rather than arising from the warmth of their bed, he chose to render his mate catatonic with an orgasm. His Omega is most likely the most sensitive submissive he’s ever met and it delights Harry to know that the faintest touches to the right spot can have Louis whimpering.

The Alpha has Louis writhing above him, firm hands holding him down while Harry savours the taste between his thighs. He leaves little red possessive marks on Louis’ skin from where he spends time nibbling on the golden expanse of flesh. Louis had buried his face in a pillow to keep from being too loud, rolling his hips back against Harry’s torturous mouth more eagerly. He knew the idea of taking Harry inside him could only be detrimental to their schedule but nothing seemed to deter the Alpha when it came to sheathing himself in Louis’ delicious body.

 _“Harry.”_ Louis whined pitifully when he wasn’t allowed to leave the bed even though morning had passed. That was an hour ago and now the Omega is bound to his dominant by the latter’s knot tucked snugly into his body. “What if the babies come in here?”

His Alpha merely grunted. “Cover up then, Omega. Can’t have our babies witnessing a tribute to their parents’ commitment and adoration.”

Louis lightly slapped Harry’s heaving torso. “That’s not what I meant. They can’t see their parents naked in bed.”

“We’re wolves, darling.” Harry suckled on the skin of Louis’ neck over his mating scar, dragging the Omega against him whenever Louis moves an inch away. His chest is in a permanent rumble from the tightness that clenches sporadically around his knot, and being tied to his little Omega. “Nudity is part of who and what we are.”

Unfortunately, Louis’ fears came true when Aryan came into their room wearing just his tiny white underwear wondering why his parents haven’t come to wake him up yet. Harry displayed not an ounce of anxiety when their eldest pup crawled onto the bed and – oblivious to anything hidden under the covers – cuddled into his mother where he felt safest. Louis kissed his son’s cheek and held him without reservation, glaring at his Alpha when Harry chuckled breathily into his ear as a result of pinching his bottom.

“Mama.” Aryan sounds as drowsy as he feels, speaking in mumbles against Louis’ clavicle. “Want milk.”

“You can’t have just milk for breakfast, lovely.” Louis calmly reminds him. “I’ll make you some of that oatmeal you enjoy and you can have milk with it.”

“With berries?” Aryan has himself draped over Louis, hiding in his mother’s neck and slowly comes into agreement on the topic of breakfast. “Hate berries.”

“I know you hate berries, love.” Louis laughs softly, rubbing Aryan’s back with gentle strokes. He cannot fathom a more satisfying, accomplished feeling than holding his babies when they are closest to him. “How about honey instead?”

Aryan nods his head. “Like honey. Lots of honey.”

“You can have honey now but you know you’ll have to have fruit later as your snack then.” Louis reminds him. He recalls being a pup himself when a diet was thought out for him with much more nostalgia now that he comprehends the importance of ensuring proper constituents of the outline.

Aryan made a sound of evident discontentment and hoped it would work to change his mother’s mind but rather, Harry is the one to silence the dispute. “Aryan, there is none who know what’s better for you than your mother. Remember not to think yourself wiser than him.”

During breakfast, Louis gave all his attention to feeding Alyxander while Harry kept the other three pups from falling asleep at the table. Only his youngest seemed to be in possession of any kind of energy or desire to do something other than lounge around. Harry took Aryan with him when he went to supervise the training wolves and Louis played with his other three pups for as long as they decided to keep him.

Alyxander was asleep after an hour, releasing the softest snores as Louis set him down in his bassinette for his nap. Sanhaa wanted to pick flowers so Louis allowed her to go with Niall and the other pack pups. She and Xander, Angelica’s son, had become fast friends over a surprisingly short period of time. As Xander is older than Sanhaa and he is an Alpha as well, their attachment is unlikely but not unwelcome; Louis found it rather endearing.

“Mama!” Sonaya cried out when she suspected that her mother wasn’t paying attention to her.

Louis smiled indulgently at the sweetheart with swaying balance between his knees, who has just thrown her plush toy at him. “Yes, bub?”

Sonaya did not have enough fluency in English to properly complain so she chose to surge forward, dropping all her weight against Louis’ chest. She is pouting and gripping Louis’ shirt in her little fists, appeased only when her mother begins to gently rock her with sporadic kisses on her arms or face.

“My sweet attention queen.” Louis laughs, setting the unruliness of Sonaya’s curls. They had been inherited from Harry and were twice as untameable.

Amidst his preparations for dinner, Louis has to tend to Alyxander’s wailing need for a bath and listen to his daughter explain why she hates bad people. Sanhaa returns when Niall comes by at the end of the day and Xander is evidently displeased to leave her so Louis promises he can stay for supper if his mother agrees. The twins and Xander remain in the living room to play with what toys are always scattered there, and the pet bunnies that utterly fascinate them.

“You’re not going to leave Mama when you grow up, are you?” Louis says to Alyxander, rocking his bouncer gingerly and kissing the tip of his nose. The soft sneeze his infant emits is enough consent for Louis. “Thanks, baby boy.”

Harry brings Aryan home when nightfall just begins to stain the skies navy, and Louis all but shrieks horrifically at the sight of his son matted in dirt and blood.

“What- What happened to you?” Louis easily picks Aryan up when his three-year-old runs toward him in the kitchen, propping him on his hip. “Harry?”

The Alpha isn’t half as untidy when he reaches for a bottle of water, his shirt lost somewhere in the woods. “Aryan asked to join some of the trainees today so I let him.”

 _“What?”_ Louis gaped. He couldn’t imagine his majorly underaged pup out there in the wilderness hunting with wolves much burlier and skilled than him.

“I went with him, darling. He was safe at every moment.” Harry promised as he took a swig of the water bottle and took Aryan into his arms. Their son is yawning, slipping in and out of shallow slumber on Harry’s shoulder.

“Oh.” Louis was barely comforted by that statement. “Well, it would have been nice to have known beforehand, Alpha. Should you think of doing this again.”

Louis was timid in his nonchalant remark but it would take an imbecil to leave the warning in his tone undetected. The Omega deserved to be informed when his pup will be running around amongst fully grown wolves that have much more than merely standard violent training. Harry nods and comes forth to regretfully kiss his mate, offering a muted grumble of apology against Louis’ lips.

All is forgiven by the time Louis has to put his babies to bed. He finds that they’ve all been exhausted by the day’s activities and after Xander leaves with his mom, Sanhaa is effortless to bathe and put to sleep. Louis doesn’t have to read to the twins and Aryan to have them fall asleep underneath the covers in Aryan’s room. He gives each of them a haul of delicate kisses before turning off the light and leaving the door cracked open.

“How was Aryan today?” Louis asked from where he was perched on their bed ready to get some sleep but first had to inquire about his son’s day. “During the hunt, I mean.”

“Exceptional for a pup so young.” Harry answered truthfully whilst exiting the bathroom in his briefs, not a hint of bias in his voice. “Aryan will prove to be a very capable dominant one day.”

Louis glowed with pride at hearing that. “Did he hunt anything?”

“A hare. He did not desire my aid so he cornered it all on his own.” Harry replies, dumping the towel he’d used to dry his hair into the hamper before joining his mate under the covers.

“Really?” Louis was pleasantly surprised to no small degree.

Harry roped his arm around Louis’ hips and drew the Omega against him with a raspy hum. “He wanted to bring it home for you but I told him not to.”

“Why not?” Louis would have been proud to accept any such gift from his pup.

“It was…messy, little Omega. Aryan has not developed a certifiable skill or trademark hunting stealth as yet.” Harry answered, his eyes partially closed. “I convinced him that he could bring home the next kill when it turns out to be more presentable.”

“You’re really weird sometimes, you know.” Louis rolls over so he was draped over Harry’s front, straddling the Alpha’s thighs without meaning to. “It doesn’t matter what my baby’s first prey looks like. It’s a huge accomplishment for him.”

Harry slipped his palm below Louis’ waistband and gave the Omega’s pert derriere a little squeeze. “The first time he hunts should be for himself, Omega. It is a survival skill after all but both your concerns will be put to rest tomorrow when Aryan brings home his kill just for you.”

*    *    *    *    *

“Why do you say nest like it’s a bad thing?” Louis questions his Alpha while he slices through an apple for Sanhaa and Sonaya to nibble on while they busied themselves before bedtime.

This morning, Harry had been in consultation with Alpha Anna from a neighbouring territory for at least three hours to resolve an uprising issue that originated with her pack. The day has expired for now and Harry found his mate in the kitchen cleaning up after their dinner with Aryan to aid him; as he wanted some input from the Omega he sent Aryan into the living room with his siblings for now.

“Because in this context it might be.” Harry explains, running a cloth over the damp dishes that Louis hands him from the sink.

Louis makes an unimpressed sound at the back of his throat. “Elaborate please.”

Harry sets his cloth down, leaning the base of his spine against the countertop’s edge with his arms crossed and brows furrowed. “Anna says there are… _groups_ beginning to emerge as nests in her pack. More than two mates in total and usually only consisting of Alphas or Omegas.”

“Okay.” Louis wishes he could see the same alarm that his dominant seems to have. “What is abominable about that?”

“Everything.” Harry hisses as if the reminder itself is scathing. “The old magic dictates that an Alpha Bonds with an Omega and that is all they need. To have more than a single pair in a mating is unnatural.”

“Harry.” Louis placates. “Maybe you should investigate these individual group nests before you start throwing around harsh words. What if it’s just a scheme for attention or one of the wolves in the nests is held against their wishes?”

“Anna seems to have observed that all her wolves are as pleased and self-preening as they always were.” Harry seethes.

Louis stops what he’s doing to stand in front of his Alpha, resting his ear over Harry’s heartbeat when he leans into the man’s proximity. “You know Anna’s rule over her wolves is much less traditional than yours. They progress differently to our wolves.”

“This is not progress.” Harry holds his mate with two steely arms around Louis’ waist as if his anger could send the submissive away, repulsed. He kisses Louis’ forehead and tries to find some reprieve. “They are upsetting the balance of our world.”

“The old magic cannot have an ironclad hold on us forever, Alpha. It stated that every dominant and submissive wolf ought to be paired for protection and to ward off the repercussions of withering in loneliness. Whether they are mated in pairs or small groups, I believe those conditions are still fulfilled.”

Convincing one old-fashioned Alpha is a menial task compared to having that recently converted dominant face the Council. Harry has to leave his nest for two nights with Alpha Anna and those wolves from her pack that are guilty of the most recent discovery, to plead their case in front of the Council. As one of the leading wolves, Harry’s vote counts as to whether or not to punish those who have decided to settle in groups.

They sat in Kingly thrones in a circle around Anna and her visiting lesser wolves, the eldest in the grandest seat and Harry beside him. The air around them was stifling with tension and the inevitable displeasure of having such a grotesque topic brought before them.

“What are your thoughts, Harry?” The oldest and most revered, Markus, asks his favourite wolf on the Council with him.

Markus is at least a hundred years old and leans toward Harry, the only true confidante he has in this room, with his eyes squinted and lips pursed. It’s the look he donned when he had his affairs in order, decision in place and was seeking the opinions of others out of mere courtesy.

Harry cleared his throat before speaking, but paused with parted lips when Louis’ words from earlier this morning floated back into his thoughts. _An Alpha does not punish someone who is undeserving._

“There are more pivotal dilemmas that we must address.” Harry says in the authoritative, electrifying manner he reserves for dishing out orders. “I do not believe that unorthodox couplings amongst wolves are severe enough to draw us away from that.”

“I agree.” David, a fellow Council Alpha, speaks up. He switches his weight from left to right. “If all the wolves involved consent then we should not object.”

Alaric waits for the calm to become more certain before offering his theory. “Two hundred and fifteen years ago a nest comprised of four wolves, three Alphas and an Omega. Their union lasted seven nights because on the eighth, their pack had them executed for ever daring to initiate something so detestable.”

Harry had the grace to bow his head at that story, not only in tribute to wolves who were wrongfully murdered but because this recollection is one from a personal lineage. The three Alphas were his great grandfathers, two of whom he took the names of in their honour. A pup was born from their mating because it was conceived before the Bonding, and that is how any Styles wolf thrives today. Harry looks at Alaric with something pained in his eye, ignorant of why the other Alpha would bring up something so bitter.

“That thinking belongs in history.” Alaric continues to a dead silent room. “No wolf should be ostracised, much less _harmed_ for alternate preferences or orientations. That is my vote.”

“Mine as well.” David said solemnly.

Harry’s voice echoed. “It is my word as well.”

Alpha Anna spends much time thanking Harry for his aid and cooperation in earning all the votes of the Council. She apologises for ever being nightmarish enough to deny him the assistance he required when he was in dire need, and vows her allegiance to his pack for as long as her bloodline remains in authority. Harry nods through the praise that makes him uncomfortable and sends her off with well wishes, returning to the Council Chamber for his own farewells.

“Harry.” Alaric approaches him from the shadows of a corridor as if he awaited the dominant’s appearance. “I want to apologise for any grievance I caused by bringing up that story.”

“There was no such thing.” Harry replies in earnest. One comes to peace with the bloodiness and injustice of their history early when one is an Alpha. “I might have done the same thing had it occurred to me.”

Alaric eyes him warily but seems to set that issue aside swiftly. “I urge you to freely exploit the past of my family lineage in return.”

Harry puts a hand on Alaric’s shoulder, tightening his fist briefly in a reassuring squeeze. “I will keep that in mind.”

Staying with the Council Alphas under their insistence proves to be a poor choice because when Harry returns to his pack and his nest, the hour is late. Louis has finished dinner and planned on putting their babies to sleep but having his Alpha stroll in through the front door diverges the entire intention.

The pups capable of walking run towards their father in welcoming squeals, wrapping themselves around whichever limb of his they could reach. Harry kisses each of them in turn before picking his twins up off the floor, giving Aryan the alternative to return to his mother. Alyxander is asleep on Louis’ shoulder when the Omega approaches him as well, his lips pouted after Harry’s kiss and continued to doze peacefully.

“How are you this beautiful?” Harry modestly pecks his mate’s lips, resting his forehead against the Omega’s with an overly fond smirk. “I do not recall ever doing anything to deserve a creature so gorgeous in my home.”

Louis giggles against Harry’s lips, his cheeks heating up with a tinted blush. “Since when are you so full of flattery?”

“Oh no, Omega. I’ve always been this taken with you.”

Despite having just travelled for four hours without stop, Harry insists on being the one to put his babies to sleep while Louis gets ready for bed. He neglects any of the bedtime stories that have been gifted to their pups over time and instead tells them a censored tale from their forefathers’ history. Aryan seems to be most interested when his father tells them about wolves preceding their existences, daring to ask questions about why it was so agonising to live an independent life as a lesser wolf back then.

*    *    *    *    *

“I didn’t know you were named after your great grandfathers.” Louis was in bed with his Alpha after two nights of being away from him, clinging to the dominant’s form in the cover of darkness.

Harry held onto his mate with equal yearning and enthusiasm, staring up at the ceiling. “Harry, Edward and Marcus. They were great wolves from what is written in our family history volumes.”

Louis had his lips pressed to Harry’s sharp jawline, relishing in the blanketing warmth of his mate’s scent. “Why didn’t they use Marcus in your name too?”

“Might that have been one too many names?” Harry chuckles, growling contentedly at the squeeze of his Omega’s arms around him. “The name Marcus was used in my generation before they named me. My parents had a son that died before I could meet him.”

Louis sobers at that new information, sitting upright astride Harry’s abdomen. “I’m so sorry, Alpha. You never told me you had a brother.”

Harry grunted dismissively. “I have no memories of him or anything to mourn. My brother is real only because his name is written in our books.”

Louis felt the mass of grievance settle on his shoulders, but for a mere few seconds. “Well maybe we can remember them now in a manner of pride.”

“And what way is that?” Harry straightens his back, bringing himself closer to Louis where he embraces his sweet Omega once more.

Louis waits for Harry’s deep inhale where the Alpha is sure to detect something significantly altered about his scent. “You’re about to be the father of a fifth pup, Papa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end :'(

**Author's Note:**

> I know the ending is kinda shit but I couldn't bring myself to write more without stretching the plot until it was 10 000x worse.


End file.
